President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he held a nearly 90-minute phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier in the day, with trade relations as the main topic of discussion. According to Trump, the call was positive, and both leaders extended invitations to visit each other’s countries.
The conversation comes amid renewed tensions between the U.S. and China, following mutual accusations of violating a previous trade truce. Trump emphasised the importance of rare earth minerals in the negotiations, stating, “There should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products.”
The president noted on Truth Social that U.S. and Chinese negotiating teams would meet soon at a location yet to be determined. “The conversation was focused almost entirely on trade,” Trump said, adding that no discussions were held regarding Russia, Ukraine, or Iran.
Trump concluded by expressing optimism about the ongoing diplomatic engagement, stating, “As Presidents of two great nations, this is something that we both look forward to doing.” Further details on the upcoming meeting are expected to be released by the administration shortly.
The call marked the first known formal conversation between the two leaders since Trump took office. The last reported exchange between Xi and Trump occurred in January, prior to the U.S. president’s inauguration. Relations between the U.S. and China have deteriorated recently, with both sides accusing each other of breaching a trade truce that had resulted in a reduction of tariffs. With the new tensions threatening the fragile peace, market analysts expressed hope that the phone call could help pave the way for a resolution. Earlier this week, Trump has described Chinese President Xi Jinping as “VERY TOUGH” and “EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH. In a social media post, Trump expressed his respect for Xi, stating, “I like President Xi of China, always have, and always will,” but emphasised the difficulty in negotiating with the Chinese leader.