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Trump says Xi Jinping will visit Washington in ‘not too distant future’
US president makes comment as he refers to getting the nation’s capital ready for Chinese leader’s potential trip
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Khushboo Razdanin Washington
US President Donald Trump on Monday said his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, would visit Washington in the “not too distant future” following recent reports that the leaders were considering a summit as early as April amid their countries’ tit-for-tat tariffs dispute.
Trump made the comment while discussing beautification efforts in the American capital during a board meeting at the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts of which he assumed the role of chairman last month after firing the previous board members appointed by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
“Here it’s really bad, because it’s old and bad, and it looks terrible,” Trump said of Washington’s highways, adding that Xi would be “coming in the not too distant future”.
Remarking that Washington looked “very good” during his first presidential term, Trump suggested the city should be cleaned up, particularly removing homeless encampments and graffiti in preparation for Xi’s potential visit.
Earlier this month, the Post cited multiple sources in reporting that Trump could visit China as early as next month, although dates were yet to be finalised.
Trump was said to have wanted Xi to visit his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, where the two leaders had previously met in 2017. However, Beijing preferred a more formal setting, either in Washington or by inviting Trump to China.
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