The United States and China "should be partners, not rivals," Chinese President Xi Jinping told his US counterpart Donald Trump, welcomed to the Great Hall of the People in Beijing .

The meeting between the leaders of the two superpowers was very cordial, but Xi warned Trump on the Taiwan issue: "We could go to war if it is handled incorrectly."

The Taiwan issue, he said, "is the most important issue in our relations. If handled properly, relations can maintain overall stability; otherwise, we could clash or even enter into conflict , pushing our relationship into a very dangerous situation."

Having issued the warning, Jinping said he expects 2026 to be a "historic and turning point year" that will open "a new chapter" in relations between the two countries , which have "more common interests than differences."

“A stable bilateral relationship is good for the world,” Xi added, stressing that China and the United States should be partners rather than rivals and that the two countries should help each other succeed and prosper together.

Even economic ties (on which Trump has been very harsh with Beijing in the past) between China and the US are "mutually beneficial," Xi said, announcing that the economic and trade teams had achieved "overall balanced and positive results."

"It's an honor like no other to meet you, and we'll have a fantastic future together," Donald Trump said . "I have great respect for China and Xi Jinping, a great leader, and I look forward to discussing trade with him."

“The relationship between China and the United States will be better than ever,” he added, stressing that “some people don’t like it when I call you a great leader, but I say that because it’s true.”

Trump brought with him a group of entrepreneurs, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Apple CEO Tim Cook. "These are extraordinary people. I wanted only the best. They're here to pay homage to China and develop business in the country. They can't wait to start doing business."