Trump and Xi Discuss Trade Issues in Recent Phone Call

President Donald Trump had a conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, primarily addressing the ongoing economic and national security tensions surrounding trade between the United States and China.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated, “I concluded a very good call with Chinese President XI, discussing some of the complexities that have been created recently and agreeing to a trade deal.” He mentioned that the call lasted approximately an hour and a half, leading to positive outcomes for both nations.

According to Trump, the discussion was “nearly entirely” centered on trade, during which Xi extended an invitation for Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to visit China. Trump reciprocated with an invitation for Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan.

Chinese media reported on this call as a response to Trump’s inquiry. Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, mentioned on ABC News that Trump was expected to have this conversation with Xi during the week.

This phone call occurred nearly a week after Trump accused China of breaking an earlier trade agreement made in May. The day before, Xi made comments on the challenges of trading with the U.S.

In previous negotiations, both countries had agreed to reduce tariffs, with the U.S. decreasing tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, while China would reduce tariffs on U.S. imports from 125% to 10%.

Despite these agreements, Trump accused China of not fulfilling its end of the deal and opted not to provide additional specifics. He noted in another social media post that, “The bad news is, perhaps, not surprising to some, that it is completely violating the agreement with us.” He then added, “That’s not so much to be Mr. Nice Guy!”

In an interview, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stated that China had failed to uphold commitments made in the trade deal.

“The U.S. is doing everything it should, but the Chinese are slowly falling short on compliance. This is entirely unacceptable and must be resolved,” Greer remarked.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy, Liu Pengyu, expressed hope that the U.S. would amend its actions and eliminate unfair restrictions against China, reinforcing earlier agreements achieved during high-level discussions in Geneva.

As for the invitations exchanged between Trump and Xi, this comes in light of Trump’s tightening regulations on student visas for individuals from China, which seems to contradict the goodwill being shown in their discussions.

Looking ahead, Trump appears committed to securing a trade deal with China prior to negotiations in Switzerland.