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Mark Magnier

Frank Tang

Washington initiated the phone call between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Monday, Beijing has clarified, describing the conversation as “positive”.
“According to my understanding, the call was initiated by the US side, and the atmosphere of the conversation was positive, friendly and constructive,” Mao Ning, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, told a regular press conference on Tuesday.
Communication between the two heads of state on issues of shared concern was important for the stable development of China-US relations, she said.
Following the phone call, Trump stated on social media on Monday that he would visit China in April at the invitation of Xi.
“Our relationship with China is extremely strong!” Trump posted following the Monday morning call US time, a follow-up to their “highly successful” meeting in South Korea on October 30.
“Since then, there has been significant progress on both sides in keeping our agreements current and accurate. Now we can set our sights on the big picture,” he wrote.
Trump added that he would host Xi for a state visit in the US later in 2026 following his April trip to the Chinese capital.
“We agreed that it is important that we communicate often, which I look forward to doing,” Trump added, citing Monday’s “very good” call with Xi that covered bilateral relations, Taiwan, Ukraine, Russia, fentanyl, soybeans and other farm products.
“We have done a good, and very important, deal for our Great Farmers – and it will only get better,” the American president added with his characteristic bravado.
The telephone call follows a series of fast-changing geopolitical developments in recent weeks.


Beijing has got into an escalating row with Japan over Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan, and the US has announced a 28-point peace proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine war, which started in February 2022.
Xi clarified Beijing’s official position on the Taiwan issue, emphasising that the reincorporation of Taiwan was a key feature of global relations forged over the past 80 years.
According to the Chinese embassy, “President Xi outlined China’s principled position on the Taiwan question” and “underscored that Taiwan’s return to China is an integral part of the post-war international order”, a reference to World War II.
“The two presidents also discussed the Ukraine crisis,” it said.
“President Xi emphasised China’s support for all efforts that are conducive to peace, and expressed the hope that the various sides would narrow their differences, reach a fair, lasting and binding peace agreement at an early date and resolve the crisis at its root.”
A senior Trump administration official confirmed that the call took place but did not detail which side initiated it. The Wall Street Journal reported that it was held at Beijing’s initiative.
According to Beijing’s embassy account, “President Trump noted that President Xi is a great leader” and “the US understands how important the Taiwan question is to China”.




US-China ties ‘generally’ improved since last meeting
The two presidents met in South Korea in late October, their first in-person sit-down since 2019, during which the two countries reached a one-year tariff and export control truce.
The Chinese government said on Monday that bilateral relations had “generally” moved in a steady and positive direction since Xi and Trump had reached “many important common understandings” in Busan.
“We recalibrated the course of the giant ship of China-US relations and provided more momentum for it to sail forward steadily, thus sending a positive message to the world,” the embassy noted.
Taiwan remains Beijing’s most serious “red line”, and the issue hit the headlines anew after Japan’s newly elected leader said a conflict in the Taiwan Strait might be a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan that would justify a military deployment.
Beijing reacted swiftly, expressing its strong displeasure through diplomatic channels and issuing warnings against travel to Japan as well as blocking seafood imports and film releases from its neighbour.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. But Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.

Xi also hailed the “overall stable” China-US relations after their summit in South Korea.
“Both sides should maintain this momentum, adhere to the correct direction and uphold an attitude of equality, respect and mutual benefit, and lengthen the list of cooperation areas and shorten the list of issues,” Xi was quoted as saying.
“We should strive for more positive progress and open up new space for cooperation in China-US relations.”
How Japan-China tension affects ties with US, South Korea
The escalating tension between China and Japan has sent shock waves through northeast Asia. Tokyo has repeatedly said it was open to talks even as Beijing met those efforts with a cold shoulder.
The spat has also affected the two countries’ relations with South Korea as Beijing signalled its displeasure by postponing a three-way meeting between their culture ministers. It also slapped down a proposal from Japan for a summit involving the three countries in January, according to Kyodo News.
Hours after Trump spoke to Xi on Monday, he had a call with Takaichi, with the Japanese prime minister later stating there was “close cooperation” between Tokyo and Washington.
Trump’s position towards Taiwan has been somewhat less clear than former US presidents, including immediate predecessor Joe Biden, who said explicitly that Washington would defend Taiwan from an attack by Beijing.
Biden’s comments were a break with the long-standing US policy of strategic ambiguity, namely the idea that Washington would not commit either way.
Trump’s transactional nature and the pressure he has exerted on US allies to pay more for their own defence has left questions around his stance and raised fears that he could take steps to weaken or “sell out” Taiwan in return for a major trade deal.


Is Beijing ‘feeling out’ Trump over Taiwan policy?
Analysts said on Monday that Beijing might be probing Trump, perhaps to better assess his Taiwan policy, amid hope that he would pressure Takaichi to back off and potentially weaken the US-Japan alliance.
“I suspect it’s mostly about feeling out Trump on the Japan-Taiwan issue,” said Jeremy Chan, a senior analyst with Eurasia Group, adding that the Xi-Trump meeting in Busan was focused on economics with little evidence that security issues were discussed.
But Beijing is also walking a fine line. Even as it pressures Tokyo and, to a lesser extent, Washington on the security front, it does not want to derail the uneasy US-China truce made over rare earths, tariffs and other sensitive issues in late October.
“China has an interest in isolating Japan as much as possible over this issue, and keeping Trump on the sidelines is obviously important to that effort,” Chan said.
“The silence from Trump and his senior national security folks on this issue is notable.”
“Japan must be feeling a bit unnerved,” Chan added.
“China is likely to seek to reassure Trump so that he will stay on the sidelines of an issue that he frankly doesn’t care too much about.”


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US-China relations

Beijing says US initiated Trump-Xi call, which was ‘positive, friendly and constructive’

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke on the telephone on Monday. Photo: AFP

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping met in South Korea in late October, their first in-person sit-down since 2019. Photo: Reuters

China’s Xi Jinping tells new Japanese PM that conflicts should not define their ties

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Apec summit in South Korea on Friday. Photo: AFP

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi greets Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of their talks in Gyeongju, South Korea, on Friday. Photo: Kyodo

US-China: a fragile truce, divergent accounts and a Thanksgiving test

Three weeks Donald Trump and Xi Jinping were photographed smiling and shaking hands in South Korea, there is still no official deal between the two nations. Photo: Reuters

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he hopes to finalise a rare earth deal by next week’s Thanksgiving holiday. Photo: EPA

A barrel filled with annealed neodymium-iron-boron magnets at a production facility in China. Photo: Getty Images

As China-Japan row escalates, South Korea fears being dragged into ‘unwanted flare-up’

Mainland Chinese tourists visit Sensoji temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo on Thursday, amid tensions between China and Japan over the Taiwan Strait. Photo: AP

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has said she wants “constructive” ties with Beijing and Japan’s stance on Taiwan remains “unchanged”. Photo: Jiji Press / AFP

The US THAAD missile defence system is seen at a golf course in Seongju. South Korea’s 2017 THAAD deployment triggered a harsh response from China, including travel bans and informal trade barriers. Photo: Yonhap via AP

Dokdo or Takeshima Islands. China recently appeared to take South Korea’s side in its long-running territorial dispute with Japan over the islands. Photo: AP

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during the Apec summit in Gyeongju earlier this month. Both countries have been cautiously mending ties. Photo: dpa

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Trump hails ‘extremely strong’ relationship with Beijing after call covering bilateral relations, Taiwan, Ukraine, fentanyl and agriculture


Trump hails ‘extremely strong’ relationship with Beijing after call covering bilateral relations, Taiwan, Ukraine, fentanyl and agriculture.


Beijing says US initiated Trump-Xi call, which was ‘positive, friendly and constructive’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Trump hails ‘extremely strong’ relationship with Beijing after call covering bilateral relations, Taiwan, Ukraine, fentanyl and agriculture

Trump hails ‘extremely strong’ relationship with Beijing after call covering bilateral relations, Taiwan, Ukraine, fentanyl and agriculture