Chinese President Xi Jinping said he hopes San Francisco and California continue to lead the way in growing China-U.S. friendship, during a Wednesday night event.
Xi’s conciliatory speech, in Mandarin, to a room of business leaders in San Francisco’s Hyatt Regency Downtown, repeatedly referenced history — from the founding of the United Nations in the city to the Chinese-U.S. alliance during World War II.
“San Francisco has borne witness to exchanges between the Chinese and American peoples for over a century. A hundred and fifty-eight years ago, a large number of Chinese workers came all the way to the United States to build the first transcontinental railroad, and established in San Francisco the oldest Chinatown in the Western Hemisphere,” he said, according to a translated transcript.
“The world needs China and the U.S. to work together for a better future,” Xi said. “China is ready to be a partner and friend of the U.S.”
Xi said a fentanyl deal between the two countries would help crack down on the manufacturing and export of the deadly opioid that is devastating San Francisco, and the rest of the U.S.
“I would like to let you know that China sympathizes deeply with the American people, especially the young, for the sufferings that fentanyl has inflicted upon them,” Xi said. “President Biden and I have agreed to set up a working group on counternarcotics to further our cooperation and help the United States tackle drug abuse.”
China’s President Xi Jinping said he and U.S. President Joe Biden talked about curbing the fentanyl crisis that has hit cities like San Francisco.
Jeff Chiu/Associated PressXi also said China would try to bring back pandas to the San Diego Zoo.
“We are ready to continue our cooperation with the U.S. on panda conservation and do our best to meet the wishes of the Californians so as to deepen the friendly ties between our two peoples,” he said.
Xi expressed fondness for San Francisco, mentioning that his first stop on U.S. soil ever in 1985 was in San Francisco, when he took a photo in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, which President Joe Biden brought up during their meeting on Wednesday.
Xi said he and Biden agreed to increasing direct passenger flights between the two countries and streamline the visa application process. He said China was ready to welcome 50,000 young Americans for a foreign exchange program over the next five years.
Despite their dialogue and agreement to work on tamping down fentanyl production, Biden still said he considered Xi a “dictator,” during the U.S. President’s Wednesday remarks.
Earlier on Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Woodside, Calif., as part of the APEC gathering.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/TNSGuests at the event were served an autumn salad with local vegetables and the choice between a Blue Bottle Coffee-crusted Black Angus flatiron steak or vegetable curry with Northern California squash. Dessert was a fruit tart. Wines from Napa Valley wineries Cakebread Cellars’ Sauvignon Blanc and Frank Family’s Carneros Pinot Noir. Journalists were given turkey or hummus sandwiches, an apple and greens.
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff was among the business titans in attendance at the event, organized by the US-China Business Council.
Xi acknowledged the differences between the U.S.’s democracy and China’s “socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
“We are proud of our choice, just as you are proud of yours,” he said. “They should be both respected.”
Prior to Xi’s speech, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said there was “direct, open, candid” communication between Xi and Biden at the earlier meeting in Filoli House.
She also touted the fentanyl deal. “This cooperation will save American lives,” she said.
Raimondo also endorsed continuing economic trade and cooperation between the two countries. “We want to see China’s people do well,” Raimondo said.
Earlier on Wednesday evening, attendees waited for hours outside the hotel venue on Third Street as the Secret Service slowly allowed guests inside.
Across the street, pro-China supporters blared music and chanted “China jia you,” a cheer of encouragement that literally means “add oil,” as they faced off against critics of China chanting “Free Tibet!” Heavy security and barricades blocked the protesters from entering the hotel.
But, inside, there were no disruptions as Xi took the stage, only applause as he said China sought peace and shared prosperity with the U.S.
“The passage of time is like a surging river — much is washed away, but the most valuable stays. No matter how the global landscape evolves, the historical trend of peaceful coexistence between China and the United States will not change,” Xi said. “The ultimate wish of our two peoples for exchanges and cooperation will not change.”
Reach Roland Li: roland.li@sfchronicle.com; Twitter: @rolandlisf
