Xi Jinping Shows Off Trees, Donald Trump Expresses Surprise
Xi Jinping Shows Off Trees, Donald Trump Expresses Surprise
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Chinese President Xi Jinping gave US President Donald Trump a rare experience during his state visit. Xi took Trump on a tour of the Zhongnanhai complex in Beijing, a closed location that is the centre of China’s elite government.
According to Reuters, the moment occurred after the two had finished discussing a number of sensitive issues, ranging from trade and Taiwan to Iran. At the end of the meeting, Xi invited Trump for a walk in the Zhongnanhai complex’s garden area, which was filled with ancient trees that were hundreds of years old.
Zhongnanhai is a former imperial garden that is now the headquarters of the Communist Party of China and the State Council of China, or the government cabinet. The complex is located near the Forbidden City and not far from Tiananmen Square.
The two leaders’ conversation was recorded by a microphone that was still on as Xi pointed out a row of old trees in the area.
“Let me tell you, all the trees on this side are over 200 to 300 years old,” Xi said through a translator, pointing to the large tree trunks.
Xi then added, “Over there, there are some that are over 400 years old.”
Trump appeared surprised and asked, “They’ve been alive that long?”
Xi replied that in other parts of the complex, there were even trees that were up to 1,000 years old.
Trump then asked whether other foreign leaders had also been invited to Zhongnanhai.
“Very rare,” Xi replied. “Originally, we didn’t usually hold diplomatic events here. Even after we started holding some events, it was still very rare. For example, Putin has been here.”
Xi then invited Trump to touch a 280-year-old tree in the garden area. “Good. I like it,” Trump replied.
The casual interaction was an informal moment rarely seen between the two leaders amid often tense Washington-Beijing relations.
Previously, in September, a microphone that was left on also captured a conversation between Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin about organ transplants and the possibility of humans living to the age of 150. The conversation took place as the two were walking to Tiananmen Square to attend the Beijing military parade.
(tfa)