Trump Reveals He Is Set to Go to China in the Month of April Subsequent to Call with Xi

Leader Donald Trump has declared that he plans to visit the Chinese capital in the month of April and asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for a diplomatic trip in the coming year, subsequent to a phone call between the two officials.

Trump and Xi—who met nearly a month ago in South Korea—talked about a series of matters including trade, the situation in Ukraine, fentanyl, and the Taiwan issue, according to the former president and Chinese officials.

"Our relationship with China is very robust!" Trump posted in a online message.

China's state news agency published a statement that said both states should "continue advancing, keep moving forward in the positive way on the principle of fairness, mutual respect and mutual benefit".

Prior Engagement and Economic Agreements

The leaders convened in Busan in the fall, after which they settled on a pause on tariffs. The U.S. government decided to slash a 20% tariff in half intended to decrease the supply of opioids.

Duties remain on products from China and are around just below 50%.

"From that point, the China-US relationship has largely sustained a stable and upward path, and this is greeted positively by the two countries and the international community at large," the Chinese statement said.

• The United States then retracted a potential imposition of double tariffs on China's exports, while the Chinese government delayed its scheme to enforce its recent phase of limits on mineral exports.

Focus on Trade

The administration's spokesperson Karoline Leavitt commented that the Monday call with Xi—which took around 60 minutes—was focused on economic issues.

"We are pleased with what we've seen from the China, and they share that sentiment," she said.

Broader Topics

Besides talking about trade, Xi and Trump broached the subjects of the Ukraine war and the Taiwan situation.

Xi told Trump that Taiwan's "integration into China" is essential for China's vision for the "post-war international order".

Beijing has been engaged in a foreign policy clash with Tokyo, a U.S. friend, over the longstanding "uncertain policy" on the sovereignty of self-governed Taiwan.

In the past few weeks, Tokyo's head Sanae Takaichi stated that a potential assault from Beijing on Taiwan could force a response from Japan's forces.

Trump, however, did not discuss the island in his social media update about the call.

America's envoy to Tokyo, George Glass, noted before that the US stands with Japan in the wake of China's "coercion".