Xi ends visit to Washington with glance at US Constitution and Bill of Rights

The state visit has been filled with pomp and ceremony – but was seen as somewhat lacking in substance (AP)

US president Donald Trump is taking his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to visit the National Archives on Friday, showing off the sacred texts of American democracy to the leader of the world’s most powerful communist country.

The visit caps a three-day state visit criticised for being heavy on pomp and light on substance.

Mr Xi is expected to depart Washington after touring America’s vault of records, where the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are held.

The two leaders have made a show of working to preserve harmony between the world’s two largest economies, though there were no major breakthroughs on issues such as trade or the safety of artificial intelligence (AI).

The visit comes as the US celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, and Mr Trump said on Thursday that he wanted to show Mr Xi “some of the greatest treasures of that proud history”.

The Archives has a special exhibit marking the sesquicentennial, titled “The American Story”, which highlights the country’s accomplishments and advances, along with images depicting its darker moments.

Mr Trump showed Mr Xi one copy of the Declaration of Independence on Thursday – a wall-mounted copy he keeps in the Oval Office.

The US president also said he wanted to show Mr Xi artifacts about the relationship between the two countries.

“Just as our ancestors reached across the ocean centuries ago to trade, to learn, and to build a better world, our two countries do really the same thing, and we’re very proud of it,” he said.

Mr Xi’s day will begin at the White House, where Mr Trump and first lady Melania Trump will host the Chinese leader and his wife, Peng Liyuan, for tea.

The Trumps feted their guests on Thursday night with a black-tie state dinner attended by technology industry titans.

Earlier in the day, Mr Trump gave Mr Xi a personal tour of his White House flourishes, including a gallery wall of presidents and a new 100ft granite helicopter landing pad — and pointed out his ballroom, still under construction.

Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan toured the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art.

The two leaders also met behind closed doors for 90 minutes on Thursday, during which they discussed issues such as the Middle East, Ukraine and the Korean Peninsula, according to the official Chinese government readout of the meeting.

The White House has not yet provided any information about the private talks.