President Donald Trump spoke Monday with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a call that touched on trade, the war in Ukraine, and plans for Trump to visit Beijing next spring — marking another major step in the renewed diplomatic engagement between Washington and Beijing.
The call comes about a month after Trump and Xi met in South Korea, where the two leaders struck several key agreements, including lowering certain tariffs, boosting Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans to help American farmers, and tightening controls on chemicals used in the production of fentanyl — a major priority for Trump as the drug crisis continues to devastate U.S. communities.
After the call, Trump posted on Truth Social highlighting the progress both sides have made since their South Korea meeting.
“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,” Trump wrote.
He then revealed new diplomatic plans:
“President Xi invited me to visit Beijing in April, which I accepted,” Trump said, adding that Xi will make a State Visit to the U.S. later in the year. “We agreed that it is important that we communicate often, which I look forward to doing.”
If the trip proceeds as planned, Trump will become the first U.S. president since his own 2017 visit to make a formal trip to China. Xi’s most recent visit to the United States was in 2023, when he met with then-President Biden during the APEC Summit in San Francisco.
China’s Embassy released its own readout of the call, noting that Xi and Trump discussed Beijing’s stance on the “Taiwan question,” a topic that has grown increasingly sensitive as China steps up military activity near the island. While Beijing has escalated its threats toward Taiwan in recent years, Trump has kept his position intentionally ambiguous — refusing to telegraph U.S. military intentions while maintaining strategic pressure on China.
The conversation marks a rare moment of stability in a relationship that has seen intense friction over trade, national security, fentanyl trafficking, and China’s growing military aggression. Trump has long argued that strong, direct engagement — backed by tough leverage — is the only way to keep China in check while securing concrete wins for American workers, farmers, and national security.
Monday’s call suggests that approach is once again yielding results.
With a Beijing visit now on the horizon and a State Visit by Xi planned for later in the year, Trump appears to be positioning the United States for a cautious but assertive diplomatic reset — one aimed at keeping China’s ambitions contained while continuing to advance American interests abroad.
As Trump noted, the key is communication backed by strength — and he made clear he intends to keep that communication frequent.
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