Trump gives Xi a bald eagle statue as diplomatic gift

President Donald Trump presented Chinese President Xi Jinping with a roughly three-foot-tall bald eagle sculpture during a White House state dinner on Thursday, using the US national symbol as a diplomatic gesture amid tense talks on trade and technology. Trump said he and First Lady Melania Trump helped design the sculpture, describing the bald eagle as embodying the "free and soaring spirit of America" and expressing hope it would find a place in Beijing. The gift came as Washington and Beijing manage disagreements over trade, technology, and artificial intelligence while a temporary trade truce remains in place. Xi reciprocated by announcing two giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, will be sent to Zoo Atlanta, along with a student exchange program for 100,000 US students to study in China over five years. Diplomatic experts note such gifts are carefully planned and can build personal rapport, though they do not resolve underlying disputes between the world's two largest economies.