PALM BEACH, United States: President Donald Trump greeted Xi Jinping to his Florida resort of Mar-a-Lago with a smile and a handshake Thursday, as cordiality replaced tough anti-China rhetoric during a first face-to-face encounter.
Trump, in his signature red power tie, welcomed his Chinese counterpart Xi, decked out in contrasting blue, to what the US leader likes to call the "Winter White House" for a superpower summit in the sun.
This is the first time the two leaders meet, after a US election that featured frequent barbs at China´s "rape" of the US economy.
Trump had also ridiculed his predecessor´s decision to offer Xi a coveted state dinner, saying that -- if elected -- he would serve the 63-year-old a Big Mac.
But inside Mar-a-Lago´s ornate dining room -- with gold-trimmed chairs, fine cut glass and polished silverware -- there was little indication that McDonald´s will be on the menu later Thursday.
The open agenda and the personal setting for the 24-hour summit are designed to allow the leaders to freewheel and build a rapport, in what is the world´s most important relationship.
Amid concerns about security and public perceptions, Xi and his wife are not staying at Mar-a-Lago, but at a resort and spa a short drive down the palm-fringed coast that is, for now, watched by snipers, tactical units and a coastguard cutter.
But Matt Pottinger, the top White House Asia expert who was tasked with planning the summit, promised a "relaxed interaction" despite a backdrop of tensions over trade and North Korea.
The two leaders will be joined Thursday evening by US first lady and former model Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan -- a celebrated folk singer who was once more famous than her husband.
The group will "have an opportunity to have tea together, meet some of their senior cabinet officials, so to speak, on both sides, and have a dinner," Pottinger added.
Talks will continue up to a working lunch on Friday, that are likely to turn to more serious issues.
The summit has been somewhat overshadowed by renewed missile tests in North Korea and an apparent chemical attack in Syria that could prompt US military action.
The UN Security Council -- where both China and the United States hold a veto -- is expected to meet later to discuss a response to Bashar al-Assad´s Syrian regime.
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