Ruptly
"Donald Trump appeared to cause confusion during his official welcome in Beijing - as he appeared to salute China's military - at the landmark event on Thursday. Footage shows him saluting with China's troops directly in front of him. Conventionally, Americans put their hand to their heart during the anthem. Trump is no stranger to such a salute, although not directly in front of another nation's armed forces. Earlier he also saluted China's defence minister during the greetings. Xi Jinping and Trump held talks in the Great Hall of the People. The Chinese leader said they should be 'partners not rivals' while Trump praised his counterpart as a 'great leader': "Sometimes people don't like me saying it, but I say it anyway because it's true. I only say the truth." Following their talks, Chinese media quoted Xi as saying that the "Taiwan issue is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations. If handled properly, bilateral relations can remain generally stable. If handled poorly, the two countries will clash or even come into conflict, pushing the entire China-U.S. relationship into a very dangerous situation." Trump's trip to China takes place on May 13-15. It marks his second state visit to the country and first for a US president since 2017. It was delayed from April at the Americans' request due to the Iran war. The leaders last met in Busan, South Korea in October, where they hit 'pause' on an escalating tariffs war. Trade talks this time will see the US keen to extend China's suspension of export controls on rare earths - agreed last time around - as well as potential deals on planes, agriculture and energy. Foreign affairs including Iran are expected to come up. "
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