President Xi and Trump hold talks on various issues in Washington

President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump met for talks at the US capital on Thursday as both parties remain divided over the war in Iran and trade between the world's two largest economies.

This as Trump noted Beijing agreed with his stance on the advancement pace of AI, while President Xi stressed the need for the technology to remain operated by humans.

On Thursday morning, President Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan were greeted by US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania Trump upon their arrival at the White House.

The two presidents delivered their respective speeches with President Xi congratulating the US on its 250th anniversary, and stressed his desire to expand cooperation and friendship between China and the US.

Xi also said as nations leading in AI sector, both countries have the responsibility to develop and manage AI for good, and that the technology must remain under human control and serve the well-being of all humanity.

The Chinese leader emphasised peaceful coexistence between the two could overcome the Thucydides Trap -- a political theory that states the increased likelihood of war when a rising power threatens to overtake the established power.

In hopes of fostering more people-to-people exchanges in the future, President Xi announced an invitation for 100,000 young Americans to visit China for exchange studies in the next five years.

US President Trump, meanwhile, noted his friendship with his Chinese counterpart and echoed the latter's sentiment to forge stronger Sino-US ties.

The US leader said the pair would conduct in-depth discussions on trade, security, AI and other matters.

On the issue of Taiwan, President Xi said he hopes Washington will remain opposed to the island's independence so as to lay a solid foundation for strategic cooperation between Washington and Beijing.