President Trump described Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit this week as "very productive," though the White House has said little about what was achieved during the summit.
At the conclusion of Xi's visit, CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer if the leaders achieved anything new on artificial intelligence.
"I wouldn't say anything new," Greer said. I mean, we've established this this dialogue, AI dialogue with the Chinese, which really is when I think about it, I think of like the red phone between the Kremlin and the White House during the Cold War. And the AI dialogue at a minimum is an opportunity, if the sides feel like they have something they need to share, whether it's risks or other things, we can do it. Most important thing is having a channel."
Greer said there would be "another meeting on AI in the next month or so" although the agenda has not yet been set.
Though Mr. Trump declined to answer shouted questions from reporters about Taiwan during Xi's visit, U.S. ambassador to China David Perdue insisted there is "no change" in the United States' policy toward Taiwan.
"There's no change, no change in the Taiwan policy here," Perdue told CNBC Friday. "He's fully committed to the One China policy. We're committed to the Taiwan Relations Act, the three communiques, and the six assurances. Nothing has changed there. Of course, China has tried to coerce change in that regard. We're not changing the language. We're not changing our position there."
For the last stop of the Chinese leader's state visit, Xi, his wife and the Trumps toured the National Archives briefly on Friday afternoon.
National Archivist Bradford Wilson showed the leaders and their wives the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.
Journalists were too far away to hear their conversation, but Mr. Trump did speak briefly to the press.
Asked about his meeting with Xi, the U.S. president said "everything" was accomplished during their meeting, although he didn't elaborate.
During a tea at the White House, Xi thanked the Trumps for the visit.
Through a translator, Xi said everything on their visit was "done to the highest order of perfection" with "thought in every little detail." Xi also said through a translator that he and Mr. Trump "are like two people who are charting the course for the great ship of China-U.S. relations." Xi said they're adding "new substance" to that strategic relationship.
Xi said the two leaders were likely to see each other later this year at the APEC China summit in Shenzhen, and then again at the G20 summit of leaders in the U.S. The G20 is expected to take place at one of Mr. Trump's properties in Miami. Xi welcomed Mr. Trump for a state visit to Beijing in May.
Mr. Trump said he and Xi would be "speaking a lot," adding, "I think our farmers are going to be very happy. A lot of very positive things happened. But America is very happy about this visit and I'm sure China is very happy also. Great things for both countries. And it's been just very, very productive."
The television pool reporter in the room asked Mr. Trump if he asked China to stop sharing intelligence with Iran, but he ignored the question.
David Perdue, the U.S. ambassador to China, told Fox News on Friday that Mr. Trump told Xi it's "unacceptable" for China to be helping Iran in any way with the war. Perdue acknowledged that China has been involved in some assistance that went to Iran directly or indirectly. He also said China has expressed a commitment to not help Iran.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Chinese entities provided satellite images of a base in Jordan to Iran ahead of deadly Iranian strikes that killed three U.S. soldiers and wounded others.
"This has been a continual conversation over some period of time," Perdue told Fox News' Bill Hemmer. "President Xi responded as you might expect. They talked about the U.S. interests. President Trump did a great job making sure that China knows that this is unacceptable. We've seen some movement over the last month as well, but this isn't the first time President Trump has brought it up with President Xi."
Hemmer asked Perdue if that means that China would stop assisting Iran. Perdue said the U.S. has seen "movement" in that direction.
"That's what the commitment is," Perdue responded. "They assured us yesterday they are not doing that. We know that in the past that there was some intel and some potential parts that went to either directly or indirectly. But President Trump again made it very clear, this is unacceptable to us, to have any interaction with Iran with regards to the support of this war."
During remarks at the White House state dinner, Chinese President Xi Jinping said he and President Trump had "sincere and in-depth exchanges" earlier in the day, and "reached common understanding on many issues."
"This has added new substance to the constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability," Xi said through a translator.
Xi did not specify what the two leaders discussed or whether they struck any new agreements, but trade and AI were widely believed to be agenda items. The U.S. and China agreed earlier this week to extend a truce on tariffs for two months, forestalling another trade war for now, though the two countries have not struck a broader deal. The two sides are also rivals on advanced AI, with Mr. Trump arguing for light regulations in order to outpace China. Other major pressure points include China's relationships with Iran and Russia and the future of Taiwan.
Xi briefly recounted the history of U.S.-China ties. He pointed to President George Washington's purchase of Chinese porcelain, the two countries' cooperation during World War II and President Richard Nixon's moves to normalize relations with the People's Republic of China.
He said the U.S. and China have come to "another historic juncture," and argued the two countries' ambitions "can surely be mutually reinforcing."
"China and the United States must act as responsible major countries, meet the expectations of our peoples, keep pace with the trend of our times and explore a new approach for major countries to get along with each other," he said.
President Trump gave his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, a large bald eagle sculpture at the end of his brief remarks at Thursday's state dinner.
During a speech recognizing U.S.-China ties, President Trump offered Chinese President Xi Jinping and other guests a "special treat" — a peek at the construction site for the White House ballroom.
"In honor of you, you'll be the first people to step foot on that," the president said, suggesting guests could take a look after the evening's entertainment wraps up.
Mr. Trump speaks about the ballroom frequently, weighing in on design decisions and casting the massive, controversial project as part of his legacy. He has often argued it will allow the White House to host larger state dinners.
"I can tell you that tonight, if we had it, we would've had way more than a thousand people [at the dinner] with standing room only," he said.
In remarks at Thursday's state dinner, President Trump called for the U.S. and China to "continue to build a relationship that promotes prosperity and security for future generations."
Mr. Trump, who has long touted his warm personal relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping, called Xi and his wife "truly outstanding, amazing people."
"As the leaders of our two nations, President Xi and I both understand that we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure," Mr. Trump said. "And we've never gotten along better."
Mr. Trump traced the history of U.S.-China relations back to the European explorers who arrived at the American continent while scouring the Atlantic Ocean for new routes to China. He also pointed to early U.S. commercial ties with China, saying the two countries have exchanged "goods, knowledge, customs and ideas."
During a toast to Xi, he said: "May all of our people know a future of harmony, peace and success."
The White House released the invite list for Thursday's state dinner, which includes high-level government officials and several of the world's wealthiest tech executives.
Among the notable people on the guest list are Vice President JD Vance and several Cabinet-level officials: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Todd Blanche, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
Mr. Trump's children – Ivanka, Eric and Tiffany – also got invites.
The world's richest person, Elon Musk, is on the list. NVIDIA's Jensen Huang, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Apple's Tim Cook, Google's Sundar Pichai, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Amazon's Jeff Bezos and TikTok investor Jeff Yass also got invites.
Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison is also attending. (Paramount Skydance is the parent company of CBS News.)
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump walked out of the White House's North Portico shortly after 7 p.m. Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, then arrived in a car and posed for photos with the Trumps before walking inside.
Mr. Trump did not answer shouted questions about Taiwan, Iran or whether Mr. Trump asked Xi to free imprisoned pro-democracy Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai.
A group of demonstrators was audible from the White House's North Portico ahead of Thursday evening's state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping.
A woman with a megaphone led a crowd of protesters through chants like: "Xi Jinping, You're Not Welcome," "Free Hong Kong," "Keep Taiwan Free" and "China Sponsors Genocide."
Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez, have arrived at the White House state dinner.
Several minutes later, fellow tech titan Michael Dell and his wife, Susan, walked into the event.
Other high-profile executives are expected to attend the dinner, including the CEOs of Nvidia, Qualcomm and OpenAI, CBS News has previously reported.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis questioned President Trump's judgment in hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state dinner at the White House this week, saying he's "worried about the trend of spending more time with despots and less time with democratic leaders of nations."
"It's a WTF moment," the retiring North Carolina senator said in an interview with "CBS Evening News" anchor Tony Dokoupil on Thursday about Mr. Trump's red-carpet rollout for Xi compared to the reception that some U.S. allies like Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have received.
"It's not that Xi Jinping is coming here to learn how to become a democratic, capitalist nation. Xi Jinping is trying to understand how his opposition will ultimately embrace their worldview," he said.
President Trump took to Truth Social to voice his frustration that CNN and MS NOW didn't air the arrival ceremony for Xi, saying it was "made for television." Other networks, including CBS News, also didn't air the arrival ceremony.
CNN and MS NOW, along with Politico, were banned from the White House last week. While a federal judge ordered the outlets' access to be restored, it's not clear whether CNN will be allowed to participate in the White House television pool. And as long as CNN lacks a guarantee that it will be in the regular pool rotation again, the other four networks that make up the pool also aren't participating.
Members of the pool — NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN and Fox News — are declining to provide video coverage of the president until the White House guarantees it will let CNN back in. Some networks chose not to air the government's feed of the event, since the television pool was not present. News outlets are still reporting on the event itself.
The arrival ceremony for Xi was not open to all media, but only to the pool. ABC News was the representative for the pool on Thursday.
"CNN and MSDNC, to show you how fake they are, today refused to cover one of the Biggest and Most Beautiful Events to take place in many years, the arrival at the White House of the Highly Respected President of China, Xi Jinping, and his beautiful wife, Madam Peng," Mr. Trump wrote. "The event was magnificent — Actually made for Television but, because they're Fake News, and because they knew how good it would be, they didn't want credit to be given to "TRUMP," they refused to be there. That's why they have such poor Ratings. Tonight's State Dinner at the White House, for President Xi, will be spectacular! The Media will be in attendance."
Xi left the White House at about 1:30 p.m. He and his wife will return at about 6:45 p.m. for the White House state dinner.
Xi did not answer any shouted questions from reporters.
After they met in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump told reporters he and Xi had a "great meeting."
But he declined to answer shouted questions about whether they discussed Taiwan, artificial intelligence or Jimmy Lai, the pro-democracy businessman who was sentenced in February to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong.
"We had a great meeting," Mr. Trump told reporters on the White House South Lawn.
Mr. Trump referred to Xi as an "expert on stone" who "loves good granite" before showing the Chinese president the new White House helipad on the South Lawn. Mr. Trump also took Xi inside Marine One.
Soon afterward, as Xi prepared to depart the White House, Mr. Trump again ignored questions about whether he had raised Lai's case with Xi. Again, Mr. Trump said the two had a "great meeting."
While Mr. Trump and Xi meet at the White House, the first lady and Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, toured the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art in D.C.
Waving both Chinese and American flags, children from a local Chinese school gave a choir performance for the first ladies.
When President Trump visited Beijing in May, he and Xi agreed to pursue what they called "constructive strategic stability" — political-speak indicating a commitment to improve the world's most important bilateral relationship despite deep mistrust, suspicion and intense competition.
Four months later as Xi visits the U.S., Chinese analysts see little reason to hope for any major breakthroughs, and they say the bilateral relationship, far from easing, appears as strained as ever.
"I think after all these years, Americans should understand pressure doesn't work," Zhao Hai, an expert in Sino-U.S. relations and vice president of the Chinese Institute of Hong Kong, told CBS News ahead of the leaders' summit in Washington. "It doesn't work on Xi. It doesn't work on China, and it doesn't work on the Chinese people."
Mr. Trump and Xi are now meeting in the Oval Office.
Speaking inside the White House's Grand Foyer, President Trump reminisced on the friendship he and Xi have had for years.
"Im delighted to welcome you to the beautiful White House," Mr. Trump said. "Such a great honor. In May, we had the great privilege of visiting you in Beijing, where you received our delegation with spectacular and very beautiful hospitality. Now, Melania and I are honored to host you in Washington as President Xi becomes the first ever Chinese leader to make a second formal state visit to America."
"From the time of my first election in 2016, President Xi and I have forged a friendship, a truly great friendship, actually, built on mutual respect and the vital interests of our people," Mr. Trump continued.
The U.S. president said he and Xi have made "tremendous strides" for their two countries, including on balancing trade and increasing market access for farmers. The president said the two leaders will discuss "pressing issues" about security, technology and AI or what he calls super intelligence.
Mr. Trump said "both China and the United States are great countries."
Speaking in the White House's Grand Foyer earlier Thursday, Xi said both nations are leading in artificial intelligence, and called for the "development of AI, always under human control."
Mr. Trump has been insistent that the U.S. must continue to rapidly develop AI to beat China.
Xi said "cooperation may not solve every problem" for the U.S. and China, but he said it's necessary. The Chinese president also said he hopes Chinese companies are treated fairly in the United States.
"We should coexist in peace," Xi said, through a translator. "As I have said many times, China and the United States, as two major countries, set to gain from cooperation and will both lose in competition. We do not need to avoid mentioning competition, but our competition should be a healthy one, and should be kept within bounds."
After he called to avoid conflict, Xi announced that two pandas from China will soon head to Atlanta's zoo.
Currently, two zoos in the United States have pandas. The National Zoo and the San Diego Zoo both received pandas from China in 2024.
Mr. Trump, Xi and their wives entered the White House Rose Garden to a welcome from the U.S. Army Old Fife and Drum Corps.
Mr. Trump and Xi walked along the White House colonnade, lined with the portraits of U.S. presidents.
Another U.S. military band then performed the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" for the world leaders as Mr. Trump, Xi and their delegations looked on. Vice President JD Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles are among the Trump administration officials present.
The president's daughter, Ivanka Trump, who is not a government official, and her teenage daughter, Arabella, are present for the ceremony.
Mr. Trump then ushered Xi toward the Oval Office.
Mr. Trump, Xi Jinping and his wife Madam Peng entered the White House foyer as "Hail to the Chief" played.
Several White House offiicals were also in attendance: Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance.
After journalists for CNN, Politico and MS Now were denied access to the White House Thursday morning — even though a federal judge has temporarily blocked the president's ban of their outlets — the television network pool is not covering the president's movements and remarks. That means that, as of 9:58 a.m., there won't be network coverage of Xi's arrival and visit.
Xi and his wife arrived at the White House shortly after 10 a.m., and were greeted by the Mr. Trump and first lady Melania Trump.
Mr. Trump, Xi and their spouses immediately entered the White House.
The first lady's office says the meal will begin with a toast of Schramsberg "Blanc De Noir," a nod to the "Toast to Peace" President Richard Nixon and Premier Zhou Enlai shared in Beijing in 1972. The menu as released by the White House is expected to be the following: