Donald Trump has moved quickly to reframe President Xi Jinping's reported description of the United States as a 'declining nation', insisting the barb was aimed squarely at Joe Biden rather than his own time in office. Seeking to present their latest meeting as proof of warming ties with Beijing, the US president cast the remark as a backhanded endorsement of his administration.
The comment, made in a social media post after Trump's talks with Xi, came as the two leaders publicly traded praise yet remained sharply at odds over Taiwan, trade and wider regional security, according to details released from the Beijing summit.
