United States (US) President Donald Trump called China’s Xi Jinping a great leader and a friend as they kicked off two days of talks this Thursday set to cover their ​fragile trade truce, the Iran war and US arms sales to Taiwan.

With his approval ratings dented by his entanglement in the Middle East, Trump’s hotly anticipated trip to China , the first by a ‌US president to America’s main strategic rival since his last visit there in 2017  has taken on added significance.

Joining him on the trip are a group of Chief Executive Officers looking to resolve issues with China, including Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, a late addition. Trump has said his first request to Xi will be to “open up” China to US industry.

The pomp-filled summit began at Beijing’s imposing Great Hall of the People, where Xi greeted Trump on the red carpet, with the leaders shaking hands and smiling warmly.

Chinese troops goose-stepped ​to revolutionary anthems in front of the visiting Trump, while schoolchildren waving American and Chinese flags cheered as the two leaders strolled past, Trump occasionally patting Xi on the back.

“You’re a great leader. Sometimes, ​people don’t like me saying it, but I say it anyway,” Trump told Xi as they sat across from each other, flanked by their delegations.

“There are those who say ⁠this may be the biggest summit ever. It’s an honour to be with you. It’s an honour to be your friend and the relationship between China and the US is going to be better than ever before,” ​Trump said.

Xi told Trump: “Each country’s success represents an opportunity for the other, and a stable China–US relationship benefits the entire world. When we cooperate, both sides benefit; when we confront each other, both sides suffer.”

–Reuters–