"Love to have him": Trump says Xi to visit US on September 24

President Donald Trump announced that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit the US on September 24, saying he expects “a lot of good things.” He claimed America leads China in AI and called Canada tougher to deal with than China.

President Donald Trump has announced that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit the United States on September 24 and said he anticipates “a lot of good things” from talks with the Chinese leader. Trump shared the date on Wednesday (local time) in a discussion with executives from the US travel sector, covering topics including overseas investment, artificial intelligence and economic rivalry with China.

“By the way, we have the president of China coming on the 24th; it’ll be very exciting, be great, love to have him,” Trump said. “We have a lot of good things to... with President Xi,” he added, according to a proofread transcript of the meeting.

No detailed programme for Xi’s visit was given in those remarks. The statement established a firm date following an earlier comment by Trump to reporters in the Oval Office on Wednesday that the Chinese leader would be coming to the United States.

“I have (Chinese leader Xi Jinping) coming here,” Trump said in that exchange. Throughout the discussion, Trump repeatedly tied China to his assertion that the United States is securing exceptional volumes of investment.

He further maintained that America holds a substantial advantage over China in artificial intelligence. “AI is going up, and we’re leading China in AI very substantially,” Trump said.

Competition with Beijing in artificial intelligence, semiconductors, advanced manufacturing and related strategic fields forms a core pillar of the President’s economic and security policy. Direct contacts with Xi have continued even as the two largest economies manage ongoing differences over trade, technology and global influence.

Trump also mentioned China when referring to the United States’ growing friction with Canada. He noted that listeners were taken aback by his assessment that Canada presents greater difficulties than China. “I have China coming here, a lot of people say, who’s the toughest one to deal with?” Trump said.

“Is it China, sir? Is it China? Is it Vietnam? Is it -- I said no, actually it’s Canada. Canada has felt emboldened.” The September 24 visit will see Trump and Xi meet in person during a pivotal phase of US-China relations.

Economic ties between the two nations remain extensive despite successive rounds of tariffs, export curbs and controls on critical technologies. (ANI)