President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke Wednesday morning, their first public contact after several turbulent months marked by barbs over an $11 billion U.S. arms package to Taiwan, an unprecedented Chinese military exercise encircling the island, and accusations from the White House that Beijing is positioning itself to take Greenland.
In a social media post, Trump described the call as “very positive” and praised the relationship between the two leaders as “extremely good.” He said the two sides spoke about Chinese soybean, oil and gas purchases, as well as the Russia-Ukraine war and Iran. He also said he plans to visit Beijing in April, though Chinese officials did not confirm the visit.
“I believe that there will be many positive results achieved over the next three years of my Presidency having to do with President Xi,” Trump said.
The optimistic tone was not matched by Beijing, which released a statement on the call hinting at the ongoing fractures in the relationship. A statement from China’s Foreign Ministry noted Trump’s “deep respect” for the Chinese leader, but warned that the United States should handle arms sales to Taiwan with “extreme caution” and that “Taiwan will never be allowed to separate from China.”
The call between the two leaders comes amid uncertainties in the relationship, as the White House seeks a more conciliatory tone with Beijing that prioritizes the two countries’ trade relations over more confrontational topics — while disputes continue over tariffs, critical minerals and the future of Taiwan.
In December, the United States approved a record $11 billion arms deal to Taiwan, drawing ire from Beijing, which said the move “gravely interfered” in China’s internal affairs. Beijing later conducted live-fire military exercises encircling Taiwan, describing them as a “punitive” message to those seeking to separate the island from mainland China.
Tensions between Washington and Beijing have also been strained by Trump’s aggressive foreign-policy moves, including the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro hours after he met with a Chinese envoy and Trump’s repeated assertions that China harbors ambitions to take control of Greenland.
The discussion of geopolitics between the two leaders also comes amid a major overhaul of China’s armed forces. Chinese authorities recently announced a career-ending investigation into the country’s top uniformed military official, Zhang Youxia, as part of what appears to be Xi’s reassertion of complete control over leadership of the People’s Liberation Army.
The move effectively concentrates authority over China’s highest-level military strategy in Xi himself — an accumulation of power that is virtually unprecedented in the modern era — and has raised questions about his strategic calculus as the self-imposed 2027 deadline to build a force capable of invading Taiwan approaches.
Separately, Xi held a videoconference with Russian President Vladimir Putin early Wednesday, after which the foreign ministry released a lengthy statement saying the two leaders met to mark the beginning of the Lunar New Year and to “jointly chart a new blueprint for China-Russia relations.”
The Chinese leader has also embarked on a flurry of diplomatic meetings amid fractures in relationships between the Trump administration and long-standing U.S. allies, including Canada and in Europe. Last week, Xi met with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Beijing, where the pair made a spate of agreements on visas, finance and technology as part of a broader reset in the relationship.
Also this month, Xi welcomed Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to Beijing, where the two sides agreed to lower Chinese tariffs on a range of products and open Canada’s market to Chinese electric vehicles, among other measures. Announcing the deal, Canada’s foreign ministry said it reflected an urgent need to diversify the country’s economy in a “divided and uncertain world.”
The post Trump touts ‘very positive’ call with Chinese leader Xi appeared first on Washington Post.
