Arya News - Trump stresses his ‘extremely good’ personal relationship with Xi Jinping, key to maintaining stable US-China ties.
United States President Donald Trump says he had an “excellent” phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping , which covered issues including trade, energy, Taiwan, Iran, and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Wednesday phone call came several hours after Xi spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin, during which both pledged to strengthen ties amid a “turbulent” international environment.
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The US president is expected to travel to China in April and has touted his personal relationship with Xi, even as the two countries continue to spar over competing interests in tech, trade, and geopolitical flashpoints, such as the future of Taiwan .
Trump stated that the two leaders discussed the situation in Iran, which has been roiled by recent protests and a harsh security crackdown and that Trump has threatened to attack if Tehran does not make deep concessions on a range of issues, but did not offer further details.
A readout of the call from the Chinese government shared by the Xinhua state news agency does not mention Trump’s expected visit, but says that Trump and Xi have maintained “good communication”, including an in-person meeting in Busan, South Korea, last year.
The Chinese leader said that differences with the US could be handled amicably so long as they were based on equality and respect, but noted that reunification with Taiwan, the self-governing island that China sees as an essential part of its territory, remains a key priority for Beijing.
“Xi stressed that the Taiwan question is the most important issue in China–US relations,” the readout states, adding that the US should approach arms sales to Taiwan with “great prudence”.
“Taiwan is China’s territory. China must safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and it will never allow Taiwan to be separated from China.”
The US approved an $11bn arms package for Taiwan in December, one of the largest ever, to bolster Taiwan’s defence capabilities.
Trump said that China has agreed to increase its purchase of US soya beans from 12 million tonnes in the current season up to 20 million tonnes, which he celebrated as a boon for US agricultural production.
He added that China has committed to buying 25 million tonnes in the following season. The Chinese readout makes no mention of soya beans.