Donald Trump said he had accepted an invitation to meet Xi Jinping in China after a phone conversation on trade was held between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies.
In a post on Truth Social, the US president said the “very good” call lasted about 90 minutes and the conversation was “almost entirely focused on trade”.
He wrote: “The call lasted approximately one and a half hours, and resulted in a very positive conclusion for both Countries.
The Chinese foreign ministry said Trump initiated the call, which was only the second time this year the two leaders had spoken one to one.
Large US businesses have also complained about the high cost of purchasing vital goods made in China.
Following a phone discussion on trade between the leaders of the two biggest economies in the world, Donald Trump announced that he had accepted an invitation to meet with Xi Jinping in China.
The US president claimed in a post on Truth Social that the dialogue was “almost entirely focused on trade” during the roughly 90-minute “very good” call.
“It was a very positive outcome for both countries, and the call lasted about one and a half hours,” he wrote. Regarding the intricacy of rare earth products, there ought to be no more inquiries. During the conversation, President Xi kindly invited the First Lady and me to visit China, and I accepted. Our respective teams will meet soon at a location to be decided. “.”.
Trump also stated that U.S. and Chinese teams would soon meet at an unspecified location.
The call, which was the second one-on-one conversation between the two leaders this year, was started by Trump, according to the Chinese foreign ministry. Before Trump was sworn in, they had previously spoken in January.
The conversation came after Trump’s social media posts in which he praised the Chinese leader but also implied that a deal with him was elusive.
Shortly after the two nations agreed on May 12 to lower Washington’s 145 percent import duties on China and Beijing’s 125 percent tariffs on US imports in a tit-for-tat deal, trade talks between the US and China came to a standstill.
Before negotiations to settle disagreements, particularly over the export of Chinese rare earth metals, which are essential for the production of electric cars and cell phones, the agreement permitted a 90-day moratorium during which tariffs could be lowered.
In negotiations, the United States will be represented by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
A string of poor economic data that revealed a significant slowdown in US growth and private companies’ reluctance to hire employees has put pressure on Trump to settle the conflict with China. The high price of essential goods produced in China has also been a source of grievance for major US corporations.
In a statement released by the official Xinhua news agency, the Chinese government said: “Trump conveyed his profound appreciation to Xi Jinping for welcoming him back to China. “”.
But it also stated: “The United States should rescind the sanctions placed on China and adopt a realistic assessment of the progress achieved. “.”.
China’s decision to halt exports of a variety of vital minerals and magnets in April has caused supply disruptions for global automakers, computer chip producers, and military contractors.
Trump has been pushing for a call or meeting with Xi for a long time, but China has rejected the idea, saying it is inconsistent with its custom of working out the specifics of an agreement before the leaders speak.
