Trump hosts Xi for state dinner as pomp masks tensions

US President Donald Trump hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping for a lavish state dinner at the White House on Thursday, after a day of pomp and ceremony that masked deep tensions between the rival superpowers.

Numerous US tech titans attended the banquet, including Tesla's Elon Musk, Apple's Tim Cook, Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Sam Altman of OpenAI, underscoring that trade and artificial intelligence were high on the agenda for Xi's visit.

Protesters gathered outside the White House as Trump and his wife Melania welcomed Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan for dinner, chanting slogans including "Xi Jinping is not welcome" and "Free Hong Kong," AFP reporters witnessed.

Earlier in the day, Trump proclaimed that he and Xi had made "tremendous strides" as he laid on pageantry including a military parade, a flyover and a tour of his new White House helipad.

"President Xi and I both understand that we represent different systems, but the ties between our people endure," Trump said at the dinner.

But Xi took a more restrained tone, calling for China and the United States to "coexist in peace" even as he laid down Beijing's red lines on AI, Taiwan and the Iran war.

He continued the theme in his dinner remarks, saying: "China and the United States must act as responsible major countries."

- Bald eagle statue -

Trump presented Xi with a gift of a custom-made statue of a bald eagle -- the national symbol of the United States. Guests dined on yellow squash veloute, sesame crusted sea bass, and vanilla cremeux with White House honey ice cream.

The 80-year-old US president invited guests to tour the building site of his new $400 million ballroom after the dinner, saying: "In honor of you, you'll be the first people to step foot on that."

While business was on the menu at the state dinner, expectations of any major breakthroughs from Xi's visit are low.

One minor success -- the extension of a trade truce by two months until January -- was less than the two years that the Chinese had been hoping for.

Instead, the visit was more about spectacle than substance, with the pomp helping to smooth over the tensions that divide the world's two top economies.

A formal welcome on the White House South Lawn launched Thursday's events, before Trump and Xi inspected a military parade on the newly paved-over Rose Garden.

American military jets -- including a B-2 bomber of the type that bombed Iranian nuclear facilities last year -- then staged a flyover as US and Chinese flags flew over the West Wing.

As they began talks in the Oval Office, Trump joked that the Chinese had the friendliest press corps.

His comment came days after he barred outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House -- although they returned on Thursday after a court order.

- 'Great meeting' -

Trump later walked Xi out to see the new helipad he has built at the White House, and took the Chinese leader aboard his Marine One helicopter.

"We had a great meeting," Trump said, as the pair ignored questions on subjects including Iran, Taiwan, fentanyl trafficking and jailed Hong Kong pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai.

But Xi's comments were often pointed.

In his arrival remarks he said the two countries must ensure there is "no conflict and no confrontation" and said that AI must remain "always under human control."

Trump has in contrast played down warnings that AI could threaten humanity.

Later in the Oval, Xi urged Trump to show "prudence" and oppose independence for the flashpoint of Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing claims.

The Chinese leader -- whose country has reportedly shared intelligence with Tehran -- also urged Trump to end the Iran war "through negotiation as soon as possible."

Xi's visit wraps up on Friday as the presidential couples pay a visit to the US National Archives, home to the Declaration of Independence, which marks its 250th anniversary this year.

CNN, MS NOW, Politico allowed back 

CNN, MS NOW and Politico were allowed back into the White House on Thursday, six days after being banned by President Donald Trump, following a federal judge's order that the journalists have their access restored.

District Judge Timothy Kelly ruled overnight that revoking the White House press credentials of the three media outlets "likely violated their constitutional due process rights."

Reporters for CNN, MS NOW and Politico who attempted to return to the White House early Thursday ahead of a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping were initially turned away by the Secret Service but were allowed in later around midday.

Journalists from other outlets surrounded CNN's tent on the White House driveway and filmed reporter Betsy Klein as she reported live following her return. "Welcome back," several journalists said.

In his ruling, Kelly took issue with how the White House went about expelling the three news organizations.

"The 'general rule' is that 'individuals must receive notice and an opportunity to be heard before the Government deprives them' of a constitutionally protected interest," the judge said.

Despite regaining access to the complex earlier in the day, CNN reported later Thursday that the White House had "denied two CNN journalists from covering Chinese leader Xi Jinping's arrival back at the White House for a state dinner."

The cable network reported that MS NOW journalists were also denied access to the arrival.

Trump has long attacked media that have aired critical coverage of him, repeatedly blasting the press as the "enemy of the people."

The Republican president barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House on Friday for distributing what he called "fake news" and "fiction and lies."

They filed a joint lawsuit asking for a temporary restraining order against the ban on the grounds that it violates the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which upholds the right to a free press.

Ahead of the ruling, the Department of Justice had argued that Trump can "control reporters' access to restricted presidential areas, such as the Oval Office."

"Access to the White House is a privilege -- not a right," it said.

- National security? -

The White House Press Office accused CNN in a letter to the cable news outlet of "trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues, and publishing sensitive or classified information," with similar accusations leveled against MS NOW and Politico.

The letter to CNN cited several stories about the US-Iran war and a story on Trump's plans to build a military bunker below the planned East Wing ballroom which allegedly "disclosed 'top-secret' construction details."

Kelly, who was appointed by Trump during his first term, appeared unconvinced.

"The Court is skeptical -- at least on this record -- that Defendants' interest in safeguarding national security is the actual motivation for, or is even advanced by, the revocation of Plaintiffs' hard passes," the judge said.

In a rare move, the top five US broadcasters said that they were halting pool coverage of the White House -- where a broadcaster films on behalf of all television outlets for the day -- in solidarity with CNN.

"The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting," ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC said.