WASHINGTON, Nov 25: US President Donald Trump has described his phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping as “very good,” adding that he accepted an invitation to visit Beijing in April.
Trump, in a statement posted via his social media account Truth Social, said the two leaders discussed “many topics including Ukraine/Russia, Fentanyl, soybeans and other farm products,” and added that the two sides “have done a good, and very important, deal for our great farmers – and it will only get better.”
Trump said the call followed their “highly successful meeting in South Korea” last month, noting that “there has been significant progress on both sides in keeping … agreements current and accurate.”
“To that end, President Xi invited me to visit Beijing in April, which I accepted, and I reciprocated where he will be my guest for a State Visit in the U.S. later in the year,” Trump said.
“Our relationship with China is extremely strong!” he said, adding that both sides agreed on the need for frequent communication.
According to Chinese state media, President Xi Jinping told Trump that the return of Taiwan to China was an important part of the post-war international order.
Xi told his US counterpart in the call that Beijing and Washington should jointly safeguard the victorious outcomes of World War II, Xi said.
Taiwan remains a central flashpoint in US-China relations. Beijing views Taiwan as a breakaway province, while Taipei has insisted on independence since 1949.
The US supports Taiwan’s defence under the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances governing policy toward the island.
During the phone call, Xi and Trump also discussed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, according to the report.
Xi emphasised China’s support for all efforts toward peace. He expressed hope that all parties will continue to reduce their disagreements and reach a peace agreement as soon as possible.
A US plan to end the over 3 1/2-year-old Moscow-Kyiv war is on the table in Geneva, where representatives of Washington, Kyiv, and European capitals met to discuss details.
The call came weeks after Xi and Trump held a summit on Oct 30 in Busan, South Korea, where the two sides agreed to a one-year trade and tariff agreement.
After their meeting in Busan, Trump said Taiwan did not come up for discussion.
During the phone call on Monday, Xi described the meeting in Busan as “successful,” with both sides reaching many “important common understandings,” that helped to recalibrate “the course of the giant ship of China-US relations.”
China-US relations have since then maintained a steady and positive trajectory, which is welcomed by the two countries and the broader international community, Xi said.
The Chinese president urged the two sides to expand the list of cooperation and shorten the list of problems, create new space for China-US cooperation, and bring more benefits to the people of both countries and the world.
Meanwhile, Trump also said he remained hopeful that the talks on peace in Ukraine will lead to a result, his spokeswoman said.
There were very productive discussions over the weekend between the president’s national security team and the Ukrainian delegation, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
She said there are now only a few points on which there is no agreement yet.
Leavitt also emphasised that the president is frustrated that the war continues. President Trump has ended US funding for the war, but the US still delivers or sells large quantities of weapons. “We cannot do that forever, and the president wants this war to end,” said Leavitt.
The 28-point plan presented by Trump, which has been criticised by many as a Russian “wish list,” was almost entirely unacceptable to Ukraine and the Europeans.
Under the plan, Ukraine would have to accept significant territorial losses and a cap on its troop strength, while NATO would have to forgo admitting Ukraine and other new members, and the US would benefit significantly from the Russian assets frozen in the EU.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz dampened hopes for a quick breakthrough after initial negotiations between the US, Ukraine and leading European states.
“There will not be peace in Ukraine overnight,” the German leader said after a special EU summit on the Ukraine war in Angola’s capital, Luanda.
–BERNAMA-Agencies