Beijing confident about Trump’s visit

WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump’s first state visit to China, coming at a “historic moment” after a key Party congress in Beijing is expected to be a successful trip with significant results in trade, the Korean Peninsula and other issues, China’s top envoy in Washington said on Monday.

Trump is expected to arrive in Beijing on Nov 8 for what Ambassador Cui Tiankai called a “state visit-plus” featuring talks, a military honor guard and formal banquet and some “special arrangements”, Cui said at a briefing. China will reciprocate the hospitality the US president and the first family showed Chinese leaders at the April meeting at the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, he said.

Cui said the recent 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China reaffirmed China’s commitment to following a path of peaceful development, a strategy of opening-up and efforts to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Beijing also will ramp up its close and effective coordination with other countries.

Trump will be the first head of state of a major power to visit China at this historic moment, Cui said. President Xi Jinping and Trump are expected to chart the course of development for the world’s most important bilateral relationship, he said.

The ambassador said the Korean Peninsula situation will be a priority in the talks.

“I hope they reach more agreement between them and will give us clear guidance on how the two countries can handle this issue together,” Cui said. “We are taking measures to implement the (United Nations Security Council) sanctions, although obviously many of the sanctions would be implemented with a high cost for China itself, because we are the DPRK’s neighbor.”

Cui stressed that the Korean Peninsula issue cannot be solved by China itself. It requires a concerted effort of all the parties concerned.

“It is clear that if only China is making efforts, while others are doing things that could lead to escalation of tensions, this issue would not be solved, and it would become even more difficult, and the end result would hurt everybody’s interest,” he said.

“I’m sure at the conclusion of the visit, both sides will have something to say about this issue,” Cui said.

Cui expressed equal confidence on trade and economic issues, another priority of Trump’s visit to China. The ambassador said the two sides already have spent a lot of time and energy on the trade issue and are making progress.

Cui also said that the US has no territorial claim in the South China Sea and should let countries in the region manage their disputes in a “friendly and effective way”.

Trump’s visit to China would be his third stop in Asia, preceded by Japan and South Korea and followed by visits to Vietnam and the Philippines from Nov 5 to Nov 14.