Key Points:
- Xi urges Trump to recognise historical basis of China’s position.
- China links Taiwan issue to global stability and wartime outcomes.
- Beijing warns reunification remains a non-negotiable strategic priority.
ISLAMABAD: Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump held a rare phone call on Monday, with both leaders signalling cautious stability in bilateral ties following months of tensions over trade, Taiwan, and global security issues.
A White House official confirmed to ABC News that a call took place, but he did not discuss the content of the conversation. China’s state-run news agency Xinhua, on the other hand, reported extensively on the call, underscoring Beijing’s emphasis on its historical ties and firm stance on Taiwan.
According to Xinhua, Xi told Trump that Taiwan’s “return to China” remains a core component of the post-Second World War international order. He emphasised that China and the United States had once “fought side by side against fascism and militarism” and should now work together to protect the outcomes of that conflict.
Beijing regards Taiwan as a part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force in reunification.
Xi and Trump last met in South Korea on October 30, a meeting that helped ease a prolonged period of trade friction sparked by Trump’s tariff measures. Since then, China has resumed purchases of US soybeans and rolled back expanded controls on rare earth exports, while Washington has lowered tariffs on Chinese goods by 10 per cent.
Xi said these developments demonstrate that cooperation “benefits both sides while confrontation hurts both,” urging Washington and Beijing to maintain positive momentum and expand areas of alignment.
The two leaders also discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine. Xi reiterated that China supports “all efforts conducive to peace” and called on all sides to narrow differences through dialogue, a position China has advanced while maintaining ties with both Kyiv and Moscow.
A 28-point US plan to end the over 3 1/2-year-old Moscow-Kyiv war is on the table in Geneva, where representatives of Washington, Kyiv, and European capitals met to discuss details.
