President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke on the phone Thursday morning, marking their first conversation since Trump’s second inauguration.
“I just concluded a very good phone call with President Xi, of China, discussing some of the intricacies of our recently made, and agreed to, Trade Deal,” Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social. “The call lasted approximately one and a half hours, and resulted in a very positive conclusion for both Countries.”
The phone call, which China underscored in Xi’s readout was at Trump’s request, comes amid increasing tensions over Trump’s trade and tariff policy, as China retaliates with export controls on several rare earth minerals and magnets critical to the United States’s automotive, defense, and energy industries. Tensions have also risen in response to Trump’s crackdown on Chinese foreign nationals studying in the U.S.
“There should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products,” Trump wrote. “Our respective teams will be meeting shortly at a location to be determined. We will be represented by Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Jamieson Greer.”
Trump added that Xi “graciously invited” him and first lady Melania Trump to visit China in the future, an invitation Trump reciprocated to Xi. The first couple traveled to China during their first administration, and Xi dined with them, too, at their private resort, Mar-a-Lago, in Florida.
“As Presidents of two Great Nations, this is something that we both look forward to doing,” Trump wrote. “The conversation was focused almost entirely on TRADE. Nothing was discussed concerning Russia/Ukraine, or Iran. We will inform the Media as to scheduling and location of the soon to be meeting.”
Moments later, Trump was asked about the call before his meeting and lunch with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the White House.
“I think we’re in very good shape with China and the trade deal,” Trump told reporters. “We have a deal with China, as you know, but we were straightening out some of the points having to do mostly with rare earth magnets and some other things. … I’ll be going there with the first lady at a certain point, and he’ll be coming here hopefully within the first lady of China.”
“We want to have foreign students, but we want them to be checked,” the president continued. “In the case of Harvard and Columbia and others, all we want to do is see their list … because when we see some of the people that we’ve been watching, we say, ‘Where did these people come from?'”
An English translation of China’s readout from its foreign ministry spokeswoman, Mao Ning, provided to the Washington Examiner by the Chinese Embassy in the U.S., emphasized the role both presidents hold in strengthening relations between the two countries.
“Recalibrating the direction of the giant ship of China-U.S. relations requires the two Presidents to take the helm and set the right course,” Mao said. “It is particularly important to steer clear of the various disturbances and disruptions.”
Against the backdrop of legal challenges to his trade policy, Trump decreased the 145% tariff rate on Chinese goods to 30% last month after the two countries met for negotiations in Geneva, Switzerland. China responded in kind by dropping its respective rate on U.S. goods from 125% to 10%. Since then, both sides have accused one another of not keeping promises made as part of that tentative deal.
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“The Chinese always honor and deliver what has been promised,” Mao continued. “Both sides should make good on the agreement reached in Geneva. The U.S. side should acknowledge the progress already made, and remove the negative measures taken against China.”
Bessent previewed the prospect of the call last weekend after Trump himself told reporters he expected to speak with Xi last month.
