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U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone call on Thursday, marking their first confirmed contact since Trump’s return to office in January. The conversation centered on trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies, with both leaders expressing cautious optimism about future engagement.
According to Trump, the 90-minute call "resulted in a very positive conclusion for both countries" as the leaders discussed ways to resolve an ongoing trade dispute that has intensified in recent months. Trump stated that the conversation focused “almost entirely on trade,” notably addressing concerns over rare earth minerals—a key component in the tech industry—whose export restrictions by Beijing have raised fears of a global supply disruption.
The U.S. president announced that trade delegations from both sides will meet soon, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer leading the American side. No date or location has been confirmed for the talks.
While Trump described the exchange as constructive, the Chinese side adopted a more measured tone. Citing President Xi, China’s state news agency Xinhua said that restoring the relationship would require “correcting the course” of bilateral ties and “eliminating all kinds of interference and even destruction.” Xi reportedly reaffirmed Trump’s welcome to visit China, following the U.S. leader’s previous trip in 2017.
Trump emphasized that the conversation did not cover geopolitical issues such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or tensions surrounding Iran. Despite Washington’s hopes that Beijing could influence Moscow’s actions, Trump clarified that such matters were not part of the call.
The call came shortly after both countries accused each other of violating a temporary tariff truce agreed last month in Geneva. While the agreement aimed to suspend punitive duties for 90 days, tensions flared again when Trump claimed China had "totally violated" the terms, without offering specifics. Beijing countered by accusing Washington of introducing new discriminatory restrictions, including the revocation of Chinese student visas.
Since returning to office, Trump has escalated trade actions, imposing global tariffs on steel and aluminum and sharply increasing duties on Chinese goods. At one point, U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports reached 145%, while China's retaliatory tariffs peaked at 125%.
Despite this backdrop, Trump expressed continued personal admiration for Xi, calling him "very tough" and “extremely hard to make a deal with,” while noting that the two sides aim to announce details of an in-person meeting soon.
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