Donald Trump Announces He Will Visit China in the Month of April Following Call with Xi
President Donald Trump has declared that he plans to go to China's capital in April and invited Chinese President Xi Jinping for a official visit next year, subsequent to a telephone conversation between the two heads of state.
Trump and Xi—who held talks about a month back in South Korea—discussed a variety of topics including trade, the situation in Ukraine, synthetic drugs, and the Taiwan issue, according to the U.S. leader and Chinese officials.
"Our relationship with China is extremely strong!" Trump posted in a online message.
Beijing's press outlet published a announcement that noted both countries should "keep up the momentum, keep moving forward in the right direction on the principle of fairness, esteem and common gain".
Prior Engagement and Economic Agreements
The officials held discussions in Busan in last October, after which they reached a ceasefire on tariffs. The US chose to reduce a 20 percent duty by 50% intended to decrease the supply of fentanyl.
Trade taxes remain on imports and are around just below 50%.
"Afterwards, the Sino-American ties has generally maintained a stable and upward path, and this is welcomed by the each side and the broader international community," the official comment added.
- The US then retracted a threat of 100% additional tariffs on products, while Beijing put off its intention to implement its recent phase of rare earth export controls.
Economic Emphasis
The administration's spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated that the recent conversation with Xi—which took around 60 minutes—was centered on economic issues.
"We are satisfied with what we've witnessed from the Chinese, and they feel the same way," she remarked.
Broader Topics
Besides talking about trade, Xi and Trump raised the topics of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Taiwan situation.
Xi informed Trump that Taiwan's "reunification with China" is essential for Beijing's perspective for the "post-war international order".
The Chinese government has been part of a foreign policy clash with the Japanese government, a U.S. friend, over the longstanding "vague stance" on the sovereignty of the independently administered island.
In the past few weeks, Japan's leader Sanae Takaichi said that an eventual Chinese attack on Taiwan could compel a response from Japan's forces.
Trump, though, did not discuss the island in his online message about the call.
US Ambassador to Japan, George Glass, had earlier stated that the U.S. government backs the Japanese in the wake of Beijing's "pressure".
