Trump Says He Will Visit China in April After Call with President Xi
Former President Donald Trump has declared that he will travel to the Chinese capital in spring and extended an invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping for a official visit in the coming year, following a discussion between the two heads of state.
Trump and Xi—who met nearly a month ago in Korea—talked about a series of matters including economic relations, the Ukraine conflict, synthetic drugs, and the Taiwan issue, per the U.S. leader and Chinese officials.
"The U.S.-China ties is very robust!" Trump stated in a social media update.
Beijing's press outlet issued a comment that indicated both countries should "continue advancing, proceed in the correct path on the basis of equality, esteem and common gain".
Prior Engagement and Trade Developments
The heads of state convened in Busan, South Korea in last October, following which they agreed to a truce on tariffs. The US decided to reduce a 20 percent duty by half aimed at the supply of opioids.
Trade taxes remain on Chinese goods and are around just below 50%.
"Afterwards, the Sino-American ties has generally maintained a steady and positive trajectory, and this is greeted positively by the each side and the broader international community," the Chinese statement said.
- America then retracted a potential imposition of double tariffs on Chinese goods, while Beijing postponed its plan to enforce its new set of limits on mineral exports.
Economic Emphasis
The administration's spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that the Monday call with Xi—which went on for an hour—was focused on economic issues.
"We are satisfied with what we've observed from the Chinese, and they share that sentiment," she noted.
Additional Issues
Along with addressing trade, Xi and Trump raised the topics of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Taiwan.
Xi stated to Trump that Taiwan's "integration into China" is critical for China's vision for the "world order following wars".
The Chinese government has been part of a political dispute with Japan, a US ally, over the longstanding "strategic ambiguity" on the authority of self-governed Taiwan.
In the past few weeks, Tokyo's head Sanae Takaichi stated that a potential military action by China on Taiwan could force a Japanese military response.
Trump, but, did not mention Taiwan in his online message about the conversation.
The U.S. representative in Japan, George Glass, previously said that the U.S. government supports Tokyo in the wake of China's "intimidation".
