The U.S. and China appear to have taken another step back from a trade war after President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed good feelings following a phone call.
Both leaders announced Saturday that “progress” is being made on a number of issues.
“Just had a long and very good call with President Xi of China,” Trump tweeted late Saturday morning. “Deal is moving along very well. If made, it will be very comprehensive, covering all subjects, areas and points of dispute. Big progress being made!”
Just had a long and very good call with President Xi of China. Deal is moving along very well. If made, it will be very comprehensive, covering all subjects, areas and points of dispute. Big progress being made!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2018
Soon after, state-run Xinhua reported that Xi said he and Trump “hope to push for stable progress of China-U.S. relations.”
The declarations come as talks to resolve the trade dispute between the two countries are expected to begin in January after Trump and Xi reached an agreement at the G-20 summit in Argentina on trade in early December that amounted to a temporary stand-down.
Both sides are under pressure to reach a deal and end their ongoing trade war. The Trump administration has set a March 1 as the deadline before it hikes tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods to 25 percent, an increase from 10 percent. China has similarly lifted its 25 percent tariffs on U.S. auto imports, but said they are scheduled to return on March 31.
Trump and Xi reached an agreement on trade in early December night, the White House press secretary said, that amounts to a temporary stand-down in the two countries’ trade war.
Along with the trade dispute, another major point of contention between the U.S. and China is the South China Sea. The U.S. has upset Beijing by conducting “freedom of navigation” exercises in the South China Sea, which China says threaten its sovereignty. Vice President Mike Pence declared in November that the South China Sea “doesn’t belong to any one nation” and said the U.S. will “continue to sail and fly wherever international law allows and our national interests demand.”
Xinhua also reported Saturday that Xi expressed his support for further U.S. talks with North Korea. Trump tweeted on Christmas Eve that “progress [is] being made” with the rogue regime amid a push to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and that he looks forward to another summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Sean Higgins contributed to this report.
