As part of the three-day state visit to the U.S., Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping held a short event where the two delivered remarks. Trump thanked President Xi for coming, and said that the two leaders had “forged a friendship… built on mutual respect and the vital interests of our people.” He noted that they will visit the national archives on Friday to see the artifacts of “the long and cherished relationship” between China and the United States.

Trump continued: “I’m confident there is much we can achieve. Throughout history, pursuit of those common interests has connected our people across the vast oceans of tremendous distances and many differences, and even made us allies in World War II… Brave American pilots volunteered to come to China and fight for the very survival of the legendary country, and that legendary flying tigers group—they were just unbelievable. And it was the United States Marines’ encounter with Chinese people that inspired the Marines to adopt a Chinese phrase they still use today: ‘gung-ho.’ The Marines use it as an expression of great enthusiasm, but in Chinese, it literally means ‘working together.’ Just as our people worked together to win that war, President Xi and I will continue working together to forge a better future for both of our nations.”

Xi Jinping then spoke, beginning by saying: “On behalf of the 1.4 billion and more Chinese people, I wish to begin by extending sincere greetings to the American people… on the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Independence.” China and the US “have the historic responsibility of advancing human development and progress,” Xi said, and I hope to “work with you to steer the giant ship of China-U.S. relationship on a steady course for the future.” China and the U.S. are different, but through “candid, in-depth, and continued dialogue, our two countries can understand each other better.”