President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had a long-awaited phone call on Thursday that centered almost exclusively on trade issues. Both sides agreed to arrange meetings between their respective teams, setting the stage for additional negotiations.
“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 shared on Truth Social following the 90-minute discussion.
“There should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products,” he continued, characterizing the conversation as ending on a positive note for both the United States and China.
One of the more difficult sticking points in the trade discussions had been China’s tight grip on rare earth elements. As previously reported by The Post, Beijing had been unwilling to relax its export limitations on these critical materials.
These rare earth resources, controlled in large part by China, are indispensable for manufacturing a range of advanced technologies, including smartphones, drones, and electric vehicles. The potential for Beijing to cut off exports had raised serious alarms over the impact such a move could have on U.S. national security and economic stability.
Just days earlier, Trump had expressed frustration over China’s handling of the agreement. “The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!” he posted on Truth Social last Friday.
Despite that fiery criticism, the tone of the recent phone call appeared more conciliatory. According to Trump, Xi extended a personal invitation for him and his wife, Melania, to visit China — and the president responded with an invitation of his own.
Xi also invited Trump and his wife, Melania, to visit China, and the US president reciprocated the offer, he wrote.
“As Presidents of two Great Nations, this is something that we both look forward to doing,” Trump wrote of the prospective China visit.
“The conversation was focused almost entirely on TRADE. Nothing was discussed concerning Russia/Ukraine, or Iran.”
In an earlier exchange with a reporter inside the Oval Office, Trump had remarked that he planned to take a cooperative approach with China during talks, brushing aside any expectation that he would press the issue of COVID-19.
Although tensions over trade had been mounting for months, the two leaders had not engaged directly until now. This phone call marked a notable shift, with the potential for more substantial progress in the near future.
{Matzav.com}