What was it like inside the White House dinner?
The US and Chinese leaders gave speeches at the lavish event inside the White House, the BBC's Bernd Debusmann Jr went along.
Chinese President Xi Jinping shared a rare laugh during a White House tour as US President Donald Trump displayed a framed autopen in place of the portrait of former President Joe Biden. The humorous moment, captured on video, stood out against Xi's typically composed demeanor during his first state visit to the United States in over a decade.
Trump, known for his physical contact with foreign leaders, patted Xi on the shoulder after the laughter. The autopen, which Biden had historically used to sign documents, had replaced Biden's portrait in the "Presidential Walk of Fame" since September 2025. Trump frequently criticized Biden for allegedly relying on the autopen and aides to sign official documents.
The visit came amid strained US-China relations, marked by a series of disputes over technology, rare earths, the origins of COVID-19, and Taiwan. Despite these tensions, Xi and Trump shared a moment of levity during their tour. This interaction, marked by laughter, offered a stark contrast to the generally formal tone of their state visit.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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