The president Donald Trump revealed this Friday that he visited the private residence of Chinese president Xi Jinping in Zhongnanhai, the most restricted political complex in China, describing the experience as something that "rarely happens".
"I went to the place where he lives, which is something that rarely happens. It was beautiful. It was amazing. People have never seen it before. It’s incredible, really. We had lunch together. We have a great understanding," Trump said at the conclusion of his state visit to China.
Zhongnanhai is a walled compound located next to the Forbidden City in Beijing that serves as the headquarters of the Chinese Communist Party and the official residence of the head of state.
Access for foreign leaders to that space is extremely unusual, as diplomatic summits are typically held in the Great Hall of the People or other ceremonial venues.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China confirmed that Xi met with Trump there in the morning, where they held a private meeting and took a walk through the gardens of the complex.
Trump also recounted that Xi credited him with reversing the decline of the United States. According to the American president, the Chinese leader publicly stated that "the U.S. was in decline for the past four years" — referring to the Biden era — and that what Trump had accomplished in his "15 or 16 months" in office was "virtually a miracle," adding that the U.S. was "the hottest country in the world."
"In that regard, he was 100% right," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Thursday, reinterpreting Xi's words as a direct criticism of the previous administration.
The state visit of Trump to China took place between May 13 and 15, marking the first by an sitting U.S. president in nearly nine years and Trump's first since November 2017.
The main event on Thursday included a welcome ceremony with a salute of 21 cannons in the Great Hall of the People, a bilateral meeting lasting approximately two hours, and a state banquet hosted by Xi.
In commercial matters, Trump announced agreements that include China's commitment to purchase more than 200 Boeing aircraft, with a promise of up to 750 aircraft if the initial delivery is satisfactory, which would represent the largest order in the company's history.
Trump traveled accompanied by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a delegation of about 30 top executives from American companies.
The summit aimed to consolidate the trade truce agreed upon in Busan, South Korea, in October 2025, which suspended tariffs that had reached 145% by Washington and 125% by Beijing.
The president also formally invited Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan to visit the United States on September 24, 2026, during the state banquet held in Beijing.
Upon bidding farewell to China with his iconic fist-in-the-air gesture while ascending the steps of Air Force One, Trump labeled the summit as "probably the greatest in history" and described his time there as "an incredible and historic period."
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