Donald Trump Reveals He Is Set to Go to China in April Subsequent to Discussion with Xi
Former President Donald Trump has confirmed that he plans to travel to China's capital in the month of April and invited Chinese President Xi Jinping for a official visit later next year, following a telephone conversation between the two officials.
Trump and Xi—who held talks about a month back in South Korea—discussed a variety of topics including trade, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the opioid crisis, and Taiwan, according to the former president and Beijing's diplomatic corps.
"Bilateral relations is very robust!" Trump wrote in a online message.
China's state news agency released a comment that noted both countries should "continue advancing, progress in the right direction on the principle of fairness, mutual respect and shared interests".
Prior Engagement and Economic Agreements
The leaders met in Busan in the fall, after which they reached a ceasefire on import duties. The United States decided to cut a import tax in half aimed at the flow of opioids.
Duties continue on imports and are around nearly 50 percent.
"Afterwards, the China-US relationship has generally maintained a steady and positive trajectory, and this is appreciated by the each side and the international community at large," the official comment noted.
- America then withdrew a threat of full extra duties on Chinese goods, while the Chinese government put off its intention to enforce its latest round of restrictions on rare earths.
Economic Emphasis
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the recent conversation with Xi—which took around 60 minutes—was centered on commerce.
"We are satisfied with what we've witnessed from the China, and they share that sentiment," she noted.
Broader Topics
In addition to addressing economic matters, Xi and Trump discussed the topics of the Ukraine war and the Taiwan situation.
Xi informed Trump that the island's "reunification with China" is essential for Beijing's perspective for the "post-war international order".
Beijing has been engaged in a foreign policy clash with the Japanese government, a US ally, over the long-term "strategic ambiguity" on the control of self-governed Taiwan.
Earlier this month, Tokyo's head Sanae Takaichi commented that a potential assault from Beijing on Taiwan could force a Japanese military response.
Trump, though, did not refer to the Taiwan issue in his Truth Social post about the conversation.
The U.S. representative in Japan, George Glass, noted before that the U.S. government stands with Japan in the context of China's "pressure".