Chinese President Xi arrives in Florida for talks with Trump
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in the US state of Florida and held his first face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump, which is likely to focus on tensions over trade and North Korea.
Trump welcomed Xi on Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, where the leaders of the world's two biggest economies will hold a summit dominated by trade and foreign policy issues.
Speaking to reporters on his way to Florida, Trump said that the two main issues in the meeting would be trade with China and North Korea’s nuclear program.
"We have been treated unfairly and have made terrible trade deals with China for many, many years. That’s one of the things we are going to be talking about," Trump told reporters traveling with him on Air Force One.
Trump pledged during his 2016 presidential election campaign to stop what he called the theft of US factory jobs by China and rebuild America’s manufacturing base.
"We can't continue to allow China to rape our country," Trump told his cheering supporters last year during his campaign in Indiana. "There are no jobs because China has our jobs."
The US president brought his top economic and national security advisers to Florida for the meeting, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
"Even as we share a desire to work together, the United States does recognize the challenges China can present to American interests," Tillerson said.
Chinese officials worry that the unpredictable Trump could publicly embarrass Xi, after several foreign leaders experienced awkward moments with the new US president.
Trump is also expected to urge Xi to pressure North Korea into halting its nuclear program, which is one of the most urgent issues for the US.
Pyongyang is trying to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of targeting the western part of the US.
During his campaign, Trump also repeatedly blasted Beijing on issues including alleged currency manipulation and the militarization of the South China Sea, although the tone has softened in recent weeks.
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