Trump Says He Will Visit China in April After Call with Xi

Placeholder Leaders in Discussion

Former President Donald Trump has declared that he plans to travel to the Chinese capital in spring and asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state visit in the coming year, subsequent to a phone call between the two heads of state.

Trump and Xi—who held talks about a month back in the Republic of Korea—discussed a range of issues including commerce, the situation in Ukraine, synthetic drugs, and the Taiwan issue, per the U.S. leader and Beijing's diplomatic corps.

"The U.S.-China ties is highly solid!" Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.

Beijing's press outlet issued a comment that said both countries should "keep up the momentum, progress in the correct path on the principle of fairness, mutual respect and common gain".

Previous Meeting and Economic Agreements

The heads of state convened in Busan, South Korea in last October, after which they reached a ceasefire on import duties. The U.S. government opted to cut a import tax in half aimed at the movement of opioids.

Tariffs stay on imports and are around just below 50%.

"Afterwards, the bilateral relations has largely sustained a consistent and favorable course, and this is greeted positively by the both nations and the international community at large," the Beijing's announcement noted.

  • The United States then retracted a warning of full extra duties on China's exports, while China delayed its scheme to introduce its recent phase of rare earth export controls.

Commerce Discussions

The administration's spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that the phone discussion with Xi—which lasted about an hour—was focused on trade.

"We are satisfied with what we've seen from the China, and they feel the same way," she noted.

Broader Topics

Along with discussing commerce, Xi and Trump raised the topics of the conflict in Ukraine and the Taiwan situation.

Xi told Trump that the island's "return to China" is essential for Beijing's perspective for the "world order following wars".

Beijing has been involved in a diplomatic battle with Tokyo, a American partner, over the enduring "strategic ambiguity" on the sovereignty of Taiwan.

Earlier this month, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated that a potential Chinese attack on the island could force a response from Japan's forces.

Trump, though, did not refer to the Taiwan issue in his Truth Social post about the call.

US Ambassador to Japan, George Glass, noted before that the United States stands with the Japanese in the wake of Beijing's "pressure".

Kelly Bennett
Kelly Bennett

A passionate gamer and tech enthusiast with over a decade of experience in writing about video games and digital trends.