WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to further trade talks and the American leader said they cleared up disputes surrounding rare earth exports at the heart of tensions between the world’s two largest economies.
Trump and Xi spoke on Thursday in a phone call intended to hash out differences on tariffs that have roiled the global economy, according to China’s embassy in Washington.
Trump, in a social media post, called his phone conversation with Xi “very good” and said there “should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products.”
The talks were at Trump’s request, China said.
Trump said that both leaders had invited each other to visit their respective countries.
“The call lasted approximately one and a half hours, and resulted in a very positive conclusion for both Countries,” Trump said on Truth Social, adding that US and Chinese trade teams would hold a new meeting “shortly.”
“President Xi graciously invited the First Lady and me to visit China, and I reciprocated. As Presidents of two Great Nations, this is something that we both look forward to doing,” Trump added.
‘Correct course’ of US-China ties
China’s state media reported that Xi Jinping told Trump that the two should “correct the course” of bilateral relations.
“Correcting the course of the big ship of Sino-US relations requires us to steer well and set the direction, especially to eliminate all kinds of interference and even destruction, which is particularly important,” Xi told Trump, according to state news agency Xinhua.
The call follows officials in Beijing and Washington accusing each other of jeopardising a trade war truce agreed last month in Geneva.
It took place at Trump’s request, the Xinhua news agency said without elaborating, and came after the US president appeared to dampen hopes for a quick resolution to their trade battle.
“I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!” Trump posted Wednesday on his Truth Social platform.
The White House did not immediately comment on the reported phone call, but had earlier suggested Trump would speak to Xi.
Until Thursday, the two leaders had not had any confirmed contact more than five months since the Republican returned to power, despite frequent claims by the US president that such a call was imminent.
Trump said in a Time Magazine interview in April that Xi had called him — but Beijing insisted that there had been no call recently.
Trading blame on deal
Although Beijing and Washington agreed in Geneva to slash staggeringly high tariffs on each other’s goods for 90 days, the two sides have since traded blame for derailing the deal.
Trump argued Friday that China had “totally violated” the agreement, without providing further details.
China’s commerce ministry hit back this week, saying the Trump administration had since introduced “discriminatory restrictive measures”, including revoking Chinese student visas in the United States.
Washington has targeted Chinese nationals who entered the United States both legally and illegally, with the president vowing to aggressively revoke Chinese student visas.
The US leader introduced in April sweeping worldwide tariffs that targeted China most heavily of all, accusing other countries of “ripping off” the United States and running trade imbalances.
Trump put a pause on the steepest levies, sparking a flurry of negotiations with trading partners.
China had been hit with additional levies of 145 percent on its goods as both sides engaged in a tit-for-tat escalation. China’s countermeasures on US goods reached 125 percent.
Trump has separately ramped up tensions with other trade partners, including the European Union, by vowing to double global tariffs on steel and aluminum to 50 percent from Wednesday. – Agencies
