Donald Trump Reveals He Plans to Travel to China in Spring After Call with President Xi
Former President Donald Trump has confirmed that he agreed to travel to China's capital in spring and asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for a state visit next year, after a discussion between the two heads of state.
Trump and Xi—who met nearly a month ago in the Republic of Korea—covered a range of issues including trade, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fentanyl, and the Taiwan issue, according to the former president and China's foreign ministry.
"The U.S.-China ties is extremely strong!" Trump wrote in a social media update.
Official Chinese media released a statement that said both states should "keep up the momentum, keep moving forward in the positive way on the basis of parity, respect and shared interests".
Previous Meeting and Economic Agreements
The heads of state met in Busan in October, after which they settled on a pause on import duties. The U.S. government decided to cut a import tax by half aimed at the supply of the drug fentanyl.
Tariffs stay on imports and are around close to half.
"Afterwards, the bilateral relations has largely sustained a stable and upward path, and this is welcomed by the both nations and the wider global audience," the Chinese statement noted.
- America then retracted a potential imposition of 100% additional tariffs on Chinese goods, while Beijing postponed its scheme to introduce its latest round of limits on mineral exports.
Economic Emphasis
The administration's spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that the phone discussion with Xi—which lasted about an hour—was mainly about commerce.
"The U.S. is happy with what we've witnessed from the Beijing, and they feel the same way," she remarked.
Broader Topics
Along with addressing commerce, Xi and Trump discussed the issues of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Taiwan.
Xi informed Trump that the island's "return to China" is vital for the Chinese outlook for the "world order following wars".
Beijing has been involved in a diplomatic battle with Japan, a American partner, over the long-term "uncertain policy" on the sovereignty of self-governed Taiwan.
Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi commented that any military action by China on Taiwan could force a response from Japan's forces.
Trump, though, did not mention the Taiwan issue in his Truth Social post about the discussion.
America's envoy to Tokyo, George Glass, had earlier stated that the US stands with Tokyo in the context of China's "intimidation".