Trump, Xi downplay differences during state visit

U.S. President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, exchanged laudatory toasts during Thursday night’s state dinner at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Trump touted bonds between the two countries “that will only grow stronger and stronger.” Xi also praised the U.S.-China relationship, saying the countries faced “limited challenges but boundless potential for growth.” While Trump’s Chinese hosts honored the president and first lady Melania Trump, the first couple gave a gift of their own: video of Trump’s granddaughter Arabella, daughter of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, singing a traditional Chinese song in Mandarin. But beneath all the pomp and circumstance, major disagreements over trade remain. Shortly before the dinner, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said progress on trade talks has been “pretty small.” Trump has long decried the “shockingly” large trade deficit between the two countries. But on Thursday he said Xi could not be blamed for the failures of past U.S. administrations. Trump leaves China on Friday and heads to Vietnam for the first of two regional summits.