Remarks by President Trump and President Xi of China in Joint Press Statement – Beijing, China

Great Hall of the People Beijing, China

12:57 P.M. CST

PRESIDENT XI: (As interpreted.) Your Honorable, President Donald Trump, friends from the press: Good afternoon. It is my great pleasure to meet all of you, together with President Trump. Let me begin by extending once again warm welcome to the President for his state visit to China.

Yesterday and earlier today, the President and I have had in-depth discussions on China-U.S. relations and major international and regional issues of mutual interest. We reviewed the important progress made in the relationship since we met at Mar-a-Lago. And we discussed how to further move forward the relationship in the months ahead in great depth. And we reached a series of new and important consensus. Our meeting is constructive and productive.

I shared with the President the policies adopted at the 19th Party Congress. I conveyed China’s firm commitment to deeper reform, greater opening up, and a path of peaceful development, and China’s desire to expand converging interests with other countries and promoting coordination and cooperation among major countries.

President Trump shared with me his domestic reform agenda and foreign policy priorities. The development of China and the United States is mutually reinforcing. Without contradicting each other, our respective success serves the common interests of both countries. We believe that facing the complex and changing international landscape, in maintaining world peace and stability, in promoting global development and prosperity, China and the United States, being two large countries, share more common interests, shoulder greater responsibility, and enjoy broader room for cooperation.

A healthy, stable and growing China-U.S. relationship is not only in the fundamental interest of the Chinese and American people, it also meets the expectations of the international community. For China and the United States, win-win cooperation is the only right choice and the pathway toward a better future.

We agreed to keeping close touch through mutual visits, meetings, phone calls, and correspondence with a view to having timely communications on major issues of shared interest.

We agreed to make the most of the diplomatic and security dialogue, comprehensive economic dialogue, social and people-to-people dialogue, and law enforcement and cyber security dialogue, four high-level dialogue mechanisms, and work together for greater results out of these dialogues.

We believe that China and the United States are the two largest economies and important engines of global economic growth. We need to further expand trade and investment cooperation, strengthen macroeconomic policy coordination, pursue healthy, stable, and dynamically balanced economic and trade relations.

It is necessary to formulate and launch economic cooperation plan for the next phase to have continued in-depth discussion on trade imbalance, export, investment environment, market openness, and other issues, and work to support practical cooperation in energy, infrastructure, Belt and Road Initiative, and other areas.

Just now, the President and I witnessed the signing of some major cooperation agreements by our businesses. During this visit, the two sides signed over $250 billion U.S. dollars of commercial deals and two-way investment agreements.

According to China’s timetable and roadmap for opening up, China has announced a number of steps to promote market access. This speaks volume of the broad space for further economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, which would deliver great benefits to the two peoples.

We agreed to expand, exchange, and co-opt a dialogue between our two militaries at various levels realized at an earlier date the visit by U.S. Secretary of Defense to China a senior, high-level Chinese military delegation to the U.S. and work to ensure the success of the first joint staff dialogue mechanism, and the disaster management joint exercise and academic exchanges.

We agreed to strengthen law enforcement and cybersecurity cooperation.

The two sides reaffirmed that neither wants to become a safe haven for each other’s fugitives, and will instruct competent authorities of the two countries to actively explore a long-term cooperation mechanism regarding fugitive assets recovery and repatriation of illegal immigrants.

The two sides will continue the implementation of the five-point consensus reached in 2015 to enhance cybersecurity cooperation, including the use of the internet for terrorist purposes and tackling cybercrimes. We will deepen counter-narcotics cooperation and better protect each other’s nationals and institutions in their respective countries.

As two distinctive countries, our two sides may have different views or differences on some issues. This is only natural. The key is to properly handle and manage them. There is far more common interests between our two countries than differences. It is important to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, respect each other’s choice of development path and our difference. As long as the two sides commit to a constructive approach, we can put aside undiffused differences, while at the same time build common ground and advanced cooperation.

We also discussed the international responsibilities our two countries shoulder. We agreed to enhance communication and cooperation on major international, regional, and global issues, and jointly seek proper resolution of relevant (inaudible) issues to make greater contribution to peace, stability, and prosperity of relevant regions and the world at large.

On the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, we reiterated the firm commitment to achieving denuclearization of the Peninsula and upholding international nonproliferation regime. The two sides will continue to fully and strictly implement U.N. Security Council resolutions. At the same time, the two sides commit to working toward a solution through dialogue and negotiation. And we are ready to discuss with relevant parties the pathway leading to enduring peace and stability in the Peninsula and the Northeast Asia. The two sides will maintain communication and cooperation on the Korean Peninsula issue.

We believe that China and the United States are countries with important influence in the Asia Pacific. As I said to the President, the Pacific Ocean is big enough to accommodate both China and the United States. The two sides need to step up communication and cooperation on Asia Pacific affairs, foster common friends, build constructive interactions, and jointly maintain and promote peace and stability and prosperity in the region.

We also discussed the Middle East, Afghanistan, and other issues, and agreed to deepen cooperation on counterterrorism, nonproliferation, nuclear security, and stronger support to U.N. peacekeeping operations.

We both believe that friendship between our peoples is the foundation for the sustained growth of China-U.S. relations, and we agreed to further promote people-to-people exchange. We will expand student exchange program, hold China-U.S. Young Maker Competition every year, and open additional Young Maker exchange centers in both countries.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, President Trump’s state visit is a successful and historic visit. Together, the two of us have set out the direction and drew up the blueprint for China-U.S. relations in the common period. We will work with the United States and act on the consensus we reached, seek further progress in China-U.S. relations to bring greater benefits to our peoples and people across the world.

Thank you very much. (Applause.)

PRESIDENT TRUMP: President Xi, I want to thank you for an incredible welcoming ceremony earlier this morning. It was a truly memorable and impressive, and something I will never forget.

Melania and I are honored to visit your country, with its ancient history, dynamic people, and thriving culture. I also want to thank you and Madam Peng for a tour that was given to us yesterday of the very majestic Forbidden City. Your people are proud of who they are and what they have built together, and your people are also very proud of you.

I want to congratulate you on the recent and very successful 19th Party Congress. Perhaps now more than ever, we have an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between our two countries and improve the lives of our citizens, as long as we stand together — with others, if necessary — against those who threaten our civilization. That threat will never happen. It doesn’t even have a chance.

As I said in my address yesterday in Seoul, the entire civilized world must unite to confront the North Korean menace. And the entire world is watching us right now.

Today, President Xi — we discussed our mutual commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea. We agreed not to replicate failed approaches of the past — and there were many. We agreed on the need to fully implement all U.N. Security Council resolutions on North Korea and to increase economic pressure until North Korea abandons its reckless and dangerous path.

All responsible nations must join together to stop arming and financing — and even trading with — the murderous North Korean regime. Together, we have in our power to finally liberate this region and the world from this very serious nuclear menace. But it will require collective action, collective strength, and collective devotion to winning the peace.

In order to create a more secure future for all and to protect our citizens from extremism and terrorism, President Xi and I also committed to working toward a peaceful future for Afghanistan. Terrorists are a threat to all of humanity, and we will stop radical Islamic terrorism.

The United States and China also face many challenges within our borders. Every year, drug trafficking destroys millions and millions of lives. Today, President Xi and I discussed ways we can enhance coordination to better counter the deadly drug trade and to stop the lethal flow of poisonous drugs into our countries and into our communities. A special emphasis will be placed on the new phenomena: fentanyl — destroying lives by the millions. We’re going to be focusing on it very strongly, the President and myself.

In addition to improving the safety and security of our citizens, President Xi and I discussed improving our economic relationship. We want a vibrant trade relationship with China. We also want a fair and reciprocal one. Today, I discussed with President Xi the chronic imbalance in our relationship as it pertains to trade, and the concrete steps that we’ll jointly take to solve the problem of the massive trade distortion.

This includes addressing China’s market access restrictions and technology transfer requirements, which prevent American companies from being able to fairly compete within China. The United States is committed to protecting the intellectual property of our companies and providing a level playing field for our workers. At the same time, our relationship with you and China is a very important one to me and to all of the people of our country. And just by looking at the tremendous, incredible, job-producing agreements just signed by those major companies, we’re off to a very, very good start.

As part of our commitment to regional stability and peace, the United States also continues to advocate for reforms that advance economic freedom, individual rights, and the rule of law.

The United States, working with China and other regional partners, has an incredible opportunity to advance the cause of peace, security, and prosperity all across the world. It’s a very special time, and we do indeed have that very, very special opportunity. A great responsibility has been placed on our shoulders, President — it’s truly a great responsibility — and I hope we can rise to the occasion and help our countries and our citizens reach their highest destinies and their fullest potentials.

I want to thank you again — you’re a very special man — for your gracious hospitality. I send my warmest regards to your citizens. I honor their heritage and celebrate their great, great possibilities and potential for the future.

In the coming months and years, I look forward to building an even stronger relationship between our two countries — China and the United States of America — and even closer friendships and relationships between the people of our countries.

Mr. President, thank you very much. Thank you. (Applause.)

END 1:12 P.M. CST