U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he has accepted an invitation from Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit Beijing this coming April. In return, he extended an invitation to Xi for a state visit to the United States later in the following year.
The announcement came on Monday (Tuesday AEDT) after Trump had a phone conversation with Xi. This call occurred nearly a month after their face-to-face meeting in South Korea. During their discussion, they covered a range of topics such as the situation in Ukraine, the opioid crisis involving fentanyl, and China’s purchase of American soybeans.
Trump expressed enthusiasm about the diplomatic ties in a post on Truth Social, stating, “Our relationship with China is extremely strong!”
Trump and Xi discussed trade
He further detailed the conversation with Xi, emphasizing the focus on “Fentanyl, Soybeans and other Farm Products, etc.”
Trump highlighted the benefits of their discussions for American agriculture, stating, “We have done a good, and very important, deal for our Great Farmers — and it will only get better.”
Reflecting on their late October meeting in South Korea, Trump noted that “there has been significant progress on both sides in maintaining our agreements current and accurate.”
Since then, China has ordered nearly 2 million tonnes of American soybeans, ending a months-long boycott, according to data by the US Department of Agriculture. That is still short of the 12 million metric tonnes that the White House said China has agreed to buy before next year.
Beijing also placed export restrictions on 13 “drug-making” chemicals to the US, Canada and Mexico, including those that are used to produce the synthetic opioid blamed for tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the US every year. In return, the Trump administration reduced tariffs on Chinese goods.
In the call, Xi said ties with the U.S. have “generally maintained a steady and positive trajectory” following the leaders’ summit and that the two sides should strive to make “more positive progress,” according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
With the trade dispute easing, Trump wrote, “Now we can set our sights on the big picture.”
