Xi Jinping Invites Donald Trump on a Private Tour of Zhongnanhai
Beijing (ANTARA) - Chinese President Xi Jinping invited US President Donald Trump to the highly private central government complex in Beijing, Zhongnanhai.
“Today, I invited President Trump and other senior officials to visit Zhongnanhai. Zhongnanhai is the workplace and residence of the country’s leaders, including myself,” President Xi said in a video broadcast by state television, Friday.
Zhongnanhai is China’s highest-level government and leadership complex, combining the presidential office, the prime minister’s office, and the offices and residences of the Chinese Communist Party’s elite, similar to the White House for the US government. Zhongnanhai is closed to the public and has very high security.
Only a few world leaders have ever entered the location. Among them are Russian President Vladimir Putin, who met with Xi Jinping on May 16, 2024; King of Cambodia Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk in 2017 and 2025; King of the Netherlands Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima in 2018; and US President George W. Bush, who was invited along with then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin on February 22, 2002.
“Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, Chinese leaders such as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, and Hu Jintao have worked and lived here. This visit is also a reciprocal gesture for President Trump’s reception of me at Mar-a-Lago in 2017,” Xi said.
Xi explained that Zhongnanhai was originally part of an imperial garden, so it has a very strong historical atmosphere.
In a written statement from the Chinese government, it was mentioned that when Trump arrived at Zhongnanhai, Xi Jinping warmly welcomed him. The two heads of state walked and talked, occasionally stopping to enjoy the view of the old, towering trees and various types of roses in the garden.
“While walking with President Trump, we stopped several times. The trees here are hundreds of years old, one of them is about 490 years old. In this palace area, its history can be traced back more than a thousand years,” Xi added.
He also said that Trump seemed very interested in the contents of Zhongnanhai, including the roses there.
“I also agreed to send rose seeds to President Trump as a gift,” Xi said.
Trump immediately responded positively to Xi Jinping’s intention to send the rose seeds.
“Of course, I would be very happy. This visit is extraordinary, and I think a lot of good things have come out of it. We have reached a number of fantastic trade agreements, which are very good for both countries,” Trump said.
Trump called Xi Jinping someone he greatly respects.
“I have become a true admirer of him. We have known each other for 11, almost 12 years, that’s a long time and we have solved various problems that others would not be able to solve. This relationship is very strong,” he said.
He also believes that the two of them have achieved extraordinary things without specifying what agreements were reached.
“I am sure we will return, perhaps on September 24 or around that date and President Xi will come to the United States. This visit will be reciprocal, just like reciprocal trade,” Trump said briefly.
Also present during the visit were Secretary of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Cai Qi, Vice Premier of China He Lifeng, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, US Ambassador to China David Perdue, Foreign Minister Marco Rubio, Finance Minister Scott Bessent, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.