Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand, President Xi Jinping said on Thursday, adding that China and the United States can help each other succeed and advance the well-being of the whole world.

Xi made the remarks when delivering a toast at a welcoming banquet hosted at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in honor of visiting US President Donald Trump.

As this year marks the start of China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) for economic and social development, Xi said that over 1.4 billion Chinese people, drawing on the rich heritage of the nation's more than 5,000-year-old civilization, are advancing Chinese modernization on all fronts through high-quality development.

He also noted that this year marks the 250th anniversary of US independence, and more than 300 million people in the US are reinvigorating the spirit of patriotism, innovation and enterprise, embarking on a new journey for the development of their country.

"The peoples of China and the US are both great peoples," Xi said.

Looking back on the history of China-US relations, Xi emphasized that 55 years ago, the two countries engaged in Ping-Pong Diplomacy. "The door that had remained frozen for over 20 years was opened," he said, describing that diplomatic endeavor as a milestone in contemporary international relations.

Since then, through numerous examples of mutual openness and cooperation, China and the US have continuously written many chapters of friendship, he added.

Under the new circumstances, Xi said that he and Trump have held multiple meetings and phone calls, working to maintain the overall stability of China-US relations.

He said they both believe that the China-US relationship is "the most important bilateral relationship in the world", and that the two countries "must make it work, and never mess it up".

"Both China and the US stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation," Xi said, emphasizing that the two countries should be partners, not rivals.

Xi added that he and Trump have agreed to promote steady, sound and sustainable development of bilateral ties and bring more peace, prosperity and progress to the world.

Reviewing the history of China-US relations, Xi said that the key to the steady development of bilateral relations lies in whether the two sides can uphold mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

The China-US relationship concerns the well-being of more than 1.7 billion people in both countries and affects the interests of over 8 billion people across the world, Xi noted. "Both sides should rise up to this historic responsibility and steer the giant ship of China-US relations forward steadily and in the right direction," he said.

Trump, in his toast, thanked Xi for the gracious reception accorded to him. He described the day as "fantastic" and the visit as important, adding that both sides engaged in positive and constructive conversations.

The people of the US and China share mutual appreciation and respect, and their friendship goes back a long way, Trump said.

He said the relationship between the US and China is the most consequential bilateral relationship in the world and that, together, the two countries have the opportunity to create a better future for the world.