Donald Trump has said he will visit China after speaking to its leader Xi Jinping over the phone.
The US president said he had reciprocated with an invite to the White House during the “very good talk” – though such a trip has not been confirmed by either side.
The Chinese readout of the conversation mentioned its invitation but not the reciprocal one to the White House.
Both sides have accused the other of breaching the deal aimed at dramatically reducing trade tariffs – a deal Trump touted as a “total reset”.
He told reporters in the White House: “Chinese students can come, no problem, no problem – its an honour to have them frankly.
Following a phone conversation with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Donald Trump has announced that he will travel to China.
During the “very good talk,” the US president claimed to have received a reciprocal invitation to the White House; however, neither party has confirmed the trip.
Since Trump began a trade war with Beijing in February, the two leaders have not spoken since Thursday’s call. According to Chinese official media, the White House requested the call.
The main topic of the hour-and-a-half discussion was trade, and Trump wrote on social media that it had “resulted in a very positive conclusion for both countries.”.
“He invited me to China and I invited him here,” Trump said of the phone conversation with Xi during his meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office.
We both agreed, so eventually I’ll be going there with the first lady, and he’ll be coming here, hopefully, with the Chinese first lady. “.
Its invitation to the White House was mentioned in the Chinese readout of the conversation, but not the reciprocal one.
Xi reportedly told Trump that the United States should “withdraw the negative measures it has taken against China,” according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.
Citing a recent agreement between the two countries made in Geneva, the Chinese leader was also reported to have told Trump that China always fulfills its commitments and that both parties should follow the agreement since a consensus has been reached.
Both parties have accused one another of violating the agreement, which Trump referred to as a “total reset” and which aims to drastically lower trade tariffs.
It followed Trump’s hike in import duties on a variety of nations, with China receiving the highest rates. Beijing retaliated by raising its own tariffs on US imports, which led to tit-for-tat hikes that reached a peak of 145 percent.
Beijing cut tariffs on US imports to 10 percent and pledged to remove restrictions on vital mineral exports, while the US reduced its tariff on Chinese goods to 30 percent as part of the tentative truce in May.
According to the agreement, both parties have 90 days to attempt to reach a trade agreement.
However, due to allegations of breach on both sides, negotiations have appeared to have stalled since then.
China has come under fire from the US for allegedly not resuming shipments of rare earth magnets and essential minerals needed by the computer and automotive industries.
The US is allegedly sabotaging the agreement by imposing new limitations on computer chips, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, which has refuted the allegations.
Trump declared it would cancel the visas of Chinese students and imposed new export restrictions on software used in semiconductor design.
“There should be no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products,” the US president declared after the call.
“Chinese students are welcome to come, no issues at all; it’s an honor to have them, to be honest,” he told reporters in the White House. However, we would like to examine them. “,”.
