Respected President Xi Jinping and Madam Peng Liyuan, members of the Chinese delegation, I am delighted to welcome you to the White House. In May this year, I had the honor of visiting Beijing, where your delegation warmly welcomed us. Now Melania and I are honored to host you here in Washington, and President Xi has become the first Chinese leader to make a second official state visit to the United States.
Since my initial election in 2016, President Xi and I have maintained a great friendship. This friendship is built upon mutual respect and the fundamental interests of our peoples. We have traveled together around the world, from Germany to Argentina, from Japan to South Korea, and to Beijing and Palm Beach. Remarkably, this is our first time meeting at the White House. As President Xi can see himself, many changes have taken place here since his last visit.
President Xi and Madam Peng's visit comes at a significant historical moment for the United States—the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding. Tomorrow we will visit the National Archives to view some of the most treasured gems from that proud history, including the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. We will also see artifacts that bear witness to the long and valuable trade and cultural exchanges between our two nations. Just as our ancestors crossed vast oceans centuries ago to trade, learn from each other, and build a better world together.
Today, our two nations will once again contribute to making the world a better place. I am proud of the relationship between our two countries—we have a very good relationship. During my May visit, we established a trade council, and through this successful new mechanism, teams from both sides have been working hard to advance a more balanced trade relationship, including seeking new market access opportunities for American farmers and ranchers.
During this visit, we will discuss pressing issues in areas such as security, trade, technology, artificial intelligence—what is known as superintelligence. The decisions we make today in these fields will lay a solid foundation for world peace and prosperity for decades to come. If we can focus on our shared interests, I believe we can achieve great things.
Throughout history, the pursuit of common interests has linked the peoples of our two nations across vast distances and many differences, even making our two countries allies during World War II, achieving success together. Brave American pilots volunteered to fly to China and fight for China's survival, becoming the legendary Flying Tigers.
The contact between the U.S. Marine Corps and the Chinese people also inspired the Marines to adopt a Chinese phrase still used today: Gonghe. The Marines use it to express great enthusiasm, but in Chinese, its literal meaning is 'working together.'
Just as our peoples once joined hands to win victory in that war, President Xi and I will continue to work together to create a better future for our two nations.
President Xi and Madam Peng, thank you once again for this historic visit. Welcome to the United States.
