Trump Discusses Trade with Xi Jinping

President Donald Trump had a conversation on Thursday with Chinese President Xi Jinping regarding trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing.

Trump described the call as “very good,” noting it addressed recent complexities in trade and resulted in an agreement on continuing negotiations. He mentioned in a post on Truth Social that the call lasted about an hour and a half, and he felt it concluded positively for both nations.

During the discussion, trade was the main topic. Xi extended an invitation for Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to visit China, and Trump reciprocated by inviting Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan.

This conversation came shortly after Trump accused China of breaching a trade agreement established in May. Notably, just a day before, Xi remarked that trading was “very difficult.”

The two nations had initially agreed to reduce tariffs significantly: the US would lower tariffs on Chinese imports from 145% to 30%, while China would reciprocate, reducing tariffs on US imports from 125% to 10%.

However, Trump claimed that China has not adhered to the terms of the agreement and did not go into detail about the alleged violations. He mentioned on social media that the situation wasn’t surprising for some, asserting that China was violating the agreement.

Jamieson Greer, the US trade representative, indicated in a CNBC interview that China has not lifted non-tariff barriers as discussed in negotiations. Greer expressed frustration over the slow compliance from China, suggesting it’s unacceptable and needs to be addressed.

On the other side, China urged the US to reconsider its approach. Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy, called for the US to rectify its “wrong actions” and to uphold the consensus reached during high-level talks in Geneva.