China’s Xi shares a rare laugh on White House tour at Trump’s Biden autopen joke

Chinese President Xi Jinping broke into rare laughter as his US counterpart Donald Trump showed him a framed “autopen” displayed in place of the former American leader Joe Biden’s portrait during a White House tour.The viral moment stood out against the Chinese leader’s otherwise restrained demeanour during his first state visit to the United States in more than a decade.A video released by the White House on social media showed Trump taking Xi along the White House colonnade on Thursday before stopping at the “Presidential Walk of Fame”, where portraits and plaques honour US presidents.“This is the autopen ... it’s Biden,” Trump said, pointing to the image. Xi laughed audibly, while several people accompanying the two leaders also appeared to join in.While parts of Trump’s remarks were difficult to make out in the video, he appeared to be referring sarcastically to Biden’s use of the autopen, a recurring target of the US president’s criticism of his predecessor.The moment offered a striking contrast with Xi’s generally composed public demeanour during the state visit which is occurring against a backdrop of bilateral tensions surrounding technology and rare earths.At Wednesday’s welcome ceremony, Xi showed little reaction when a jet taking part in a military flyover produced a thunderous roar as the US national anthem was being played. Trump, standing nearby, appeared startled by the noise and briefly grimaced.