U.S. President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping [AFP Yonhap News file photo]

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded their 2-night, 3-day summit on the 15th (local time) over tea and a working lunch at Zhongnanhai, known as the "heart of Chinese power."

According to China Central Television (CCTV) and other sources, President Trump's presidential limousine, "The Beast," arrived at Zhongnanhai, where President Xi's official residence and office are located, around 10:55 AM.

Photos released by Reuters showed the two leaders walking and talking in the Zhongnanhai gardens in a relatively relaxed atmosphere, accompanied only by interpreters.

The two leaders held a small-scale meeting in the form of a tea reception and a working lunch.

During the tea reception, President Trump said, "This visit has been an amazing visit," adding, "We have achieved a fantastic trade deal, and it's a great thing for both countries."

He also stated, "We think very similarly on the Iran issue," and, "We want that situation to end, and we don't want them to have nuclear weapons. We want the (Strait of) Hormuz to be open."

He emphasized, "We have discussed many other issues, and I think we are in agreement on many fronts."

President Trump once again expressed his gratitude to President Xi for the invitation to visit China and repeatedly requested a return visit to the United States on September 24th.

He said, "President Xi will be visiting the United States," and added, "The visit will be reciprocal, just as trade is reciprocal."

He also referred to President Xi as "a man I respect very much" and a "friend."

U.S. President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping [AFP Yonhap News file photo]

President Xi also described President Trump's visit to China as "a historic and symbolic visit."

He emphasized, "We have built a new bilateral relationship, a new relationship called 'constructive strategic cooperative relationship'," calling it "a milestone event."

President Xi added, "We have achieved many cooperative results."

Attending the tea reception from the U.S. side were Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, and U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad.

From the Chinese side, attending were Cai Qi, Secretary of the Central Secretariat of the Communist Party of China, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Vice Premier He Lifeng, Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, and Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Xie Feng.

While walking in the Zhongnanhai gardens, President Trump pointed to the roses and said, "These are the most beautiful roses I've ever seen," to which President Xi responded by offering to send rose seeds.

When asked by reporters if he was enjoying his visit, President Trump gave a thumbs-up instead of a verbal answer, expressing his satisfaction.

Zhongnanhai, where the tea reception and lunch were held, was an imperial garden and banquet site during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and it is now a complex where key Chinese power institutions, including President Xi's office and residence, and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, are concentrated.

It is considered a symbol of supreme power in China.

President Xi's invitation to President Trump to Zhongnanhai is interpreted as an intention to highlight his leadership in bilateral relations through "home-ground diplomacy."

In particular, this is also seen as a response to President Trump's invitation to President Xi to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in 2017.

Zhongnanhai is also a highly symbolic location in the history of U.S.-China relations.

In 1972, then-U.S. President Richard Nixon met with then-Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong here, initiating the thaw in U.S.-China détente.

President Xi has also hosted former U.S. President Barack Obama at Zhongnanhai in 2014 and Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2024.