Trump Says He Will Visit China in the Month of April Subsequent to Discussion with Xi
Former President Donald Trump has stated that he will visit the Chinese capital in spring and asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for a official visit in the coming year, subsequent to a phone call between the two officials.
Trump and Xi—who convened nearly a month ago in Korea—covered a range of issues including trade, the Ukraine conflict, fentanyl, and the Taiwan issue, according to the U.S. leader and China's foreign ministry.
"Bilateral relations is highly solid!" Trump wrote in a social media update.
China's state news agency released a comment that said both states should "continue advancing, proceed in the correct path on the principle of parity, mutual respect and shared interests".
Earlier Talks and Commerce Progress
The leaders held discussions in Busan in October, after which they reached a ceasefire on trade taxes. The United States decided to reduce a 20% tariff in half intended to decrease the flow of the drug fentanyl.
Trade taxes remain on products from China and are around nearly 50 percent.
"From that point, the bilateral relations has largely sustained a steady and positive trajectory, and this is appreciated by the two countries and the international community at large," the official comment noted.
- America then retracted a warning of double tariffs on Chinese goods, while the Chinese government postponed its scheme to implement its latest round of limits on mineral exports.
Commerce Discussions
The administration's spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that the recent conversation with Xi—which went on for an hour—was centered on commerce.
"We are pleased with what we've observed from the Beijing, and they agree," she noted.
Broader Topics
Along with discussing economic matters, Xi and Trump broached the subjects of the Ukraine war and the island.
Xi stated to Trump that Taiwan's "return to China" is critical for Beijing's perspective for the "world order following wars".
China has been engaged in a foreign policy clash with the Japanese government, a U.S. friend, over the enduring "strategic ambiguity" on the sovereignty of self-governed Taiwan.
Recently, Tokyo's head Sanae Takaichi said that any military action by China on Taiwan could lead to a Japanese military response.
Trump, but, did not discuss the island in his social media update about the call.
US Ambassador to Japan, George Glass, had earlier stated that the United States stands with the Japanese in the context of Beijing's "coercion".