Government leaders

From wine to ping-pong, Trump and Xi’s state dinner is heavy on historic symbolism

South China Morning Post25 September 2026, 05:48 UTCPeople's Republic of China

When US President Donald Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping in the East Room, every detail of the state dinner was steeped in symbolism, with sparkling wine served as a nod to a pivotal moment in Sino-US relations and references to “ping-pong diplomacy”. The meal opened with a toast of Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs, a vineyard selected to honour the historic 1972 “Toast to Peace” shared by then US president Richard Nixon and Chinese premier Zhou Enlai, according to the first lady’s...

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