Trump and Xi tout friendship as China's leader urges 'healthy' competition

President Trump hailed his "truly great friendship" with Xi Jinping as the Chinese leader began his state visit at the White House, while Xi pressed for closer cooperation and "healthy" competition between the world's two largest economies. Xi urged Trump to "prudently handle the Taiwan issue" and called for an end to US arms sales to Taiwan, while Trump described such sales as a "very good negotiating chip." The two sides extended a trade truce by two months and discussed artificial intelligence, with Xi emphasizing human control over AI development. China announced it will invite 100,000 American youths for exchanges and send two pandas to Atlanta. Xi also warned against the "Thucydides trap" of rising-power conflict, and both leaders discussed the Iran war, with Xi supporting a return to a short-lived interim deal.