From wine to ping-pong, Trump and Xi’s state dinner is heavy on historic symbolism

President Donald Trump welcomed China's President Xi Jinping to the East Room for a state dinner, with each aspect of the event carefully imbued with historical symbolism. The dinner commenced with a toast of Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs, a wine selected to pay homage to the 1972 "Toast to Peace" between then US President Richard Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai.

Melania Trump's office stated that the same American sparkling wine still graces White House gatherings today. In his address, Trump highlighted the long-standing ties between the two nations, noting that the first official delegation of Chinese diplomats arrived in the United States 158 years ago during the Qing dynasty, in 1868.

This delegation was led by former US envoy Anson Burlingame and Chinese officials, leading to the Burlingame Treaty, which guaranteed free immigration and reciprocal rights, marking the first relatively equitable treaty negotiated during a period dominated by Western colonialism in China. President Xi then emphasized the enduring bond forged during World War II, acknowledging how Chinese and American people rescued American pilots, at the expense of hundreds of thousands of Chinese lives, during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression.

He also paid tribute to ping-pong diplomacy, the strategic breakthrough that broke a 20-year stalemate in Sino-US relations. The dinner's menu was announced on the White House website, along with a Chinese-language version of the first lady's briefing shared by the US embassy in China on their official WeChat account, which garnered over 100,000 views and over 1,100 comments.

The majority of the comments expressed support for Sino-US cooperation, emphasizing that while competition should not escalate into hostility, both nations should strive for a peaceful coexistence.