Trump Announces He Is Set to Go to China in the Month of April After Discussion with Xi
Leader Donald Trump has stated that he plans to visit China's capital in spring and asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for a official visit in the coming year, following a telephone conversation between the two officials.
Trump and Xi—who convened about a month back in the Republic of Korea—talked about a series of matters including commerce, the situation in Ukraine, the opioid crisis, and the island of Taiwan, as stated by the U.S. leader and Chinese officials.
"Bilateral relations is very robust!" Trump wrote in a Truth Social post.
China's state news agency issued a statement that said both states should "maintain progress, keep moving forward in the positive way on the basis of fairness, mutual respect and shared interests".
Previous Meeting and Trade Developments
The heads of state held discussions in Busan in last October, following which they agreed to a truce on tariffs. The U.S. government decided to cut a 20% tariff by 50% aimed at the supply of opioids.
Tariffs remain on imports and stand at close to half.
"Afterwards, the China-US relationship has largely sustained a consistent and favorable course, and this is appreciated by the two countries and the international community at large," the Chinese statement said.
- The United States then pulled back a warning of 100% additional tariffs on Chinese goods, while China postponed its intention to implement its recent phase of rare earth export controls.
Economic Emphasis
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the recent conversation with Xi—which lasted about an hour—was mainly about commerce.
"We are satisfied with what we've witnessed from the China, and they share that sentiment," she remarked.
Additional Issues
In addition to discussing commerce, Xi and Trump raised the subjects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Taiwan.
Xi informed Trump that Taiwan's "reunification with China" is critical for Beijing's perspective for the "world order following wars".
Beijing has been engaged in a political dispute with Japan, a American partner, over the enduring "strategic ambiguity" on the sovereignty of self-governed Taiwan.
Recently, Japan's leader Sanae Takaichi commented that any Chinese attack on Taiwan could force a Japanese military response.
Trump, though, did not mention Taiwan in his Truth Social post about the call.
US Ambassador to Japan, George Glass, noted before that the US backs Tokyo in the context of China's "pressure".