President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone call on Monday to discuss trade, Taiwan, and the Ukraine crisis. The conversation occurred nearly one month after their in-person meeting in Busan, South Korea. Both leaders expressed optimism about bilateral relations.
The phone call between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping took place nearly one month after their late October summit in Busan, South Korea. According to China's foreign ministry, Xi emphasized during the call that Taiwan's return to mainland China is "an integral part of the post-war international order" and that the two nations, which fought together against "fascism and militarism," should "jointly safeguard the victory of World War II." This came amid heightened tensions following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's recent statement that Japan's military could intervene if China acts against Taiwan, a key U.S. ally in the region. Beijing rebuked the remarks, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi stating Japan had "crossed a red line that should not have been touched," plunging China-Japan relations to a new low.
The U.S. maintains no position on Taiwan's sovereignty but opposes the use of force and is obligated by law to provide defensive arms to the self-governing island. Earlier this month, the Trump administration approved a $330 million arms sale to Taiwan, including fighter jet parts. Beijing protested, with spokesperson Lin Jian saying it "grossly violated" the one-China principle and that "China deplores and opposes that." Trump has kept strategic ambiguity on deploying U.S. troops in a potential Taiwan Strait conflict while urging Taiwan to boost its defense spending.
On trade, Xi noted that bilateral ties have "generally maintained a steady and positive trajectory" since the Busan meeting and called for "more positive progress." The October agreement included China suspending export restrictions on critical minerals for one year, the U.S. reducing tariffs on Chinese goods, and China committing to buy at least 12 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans this year and 25 million tons in 2026. No new concrete deals were disclosed in the call. Trump mentioned discussing fentanyl, soybeans, and other farm products, stating, "Our relationship with China is extremely strong!" and that a "good, and very important, deal" had been made for U.S. farmers.
Regarding Ukraine, Xi said the crisis should be resolved "at its root" and expressed support for "all efforts that are conducive to peace," hoping for a "fair, lasting and binding peace agreement." The call coincided with U.S. pushes for ending the war. Trump announced he accepted an invitation to visit Beijing in April and reciprocated by inviting Xi for a state visit to the U.S. later in 2026. Sun Yun, director of the Stimson Center's China program, suggested China initiated the call due to concerns over escalating tensions with Japan and interest in Ukraine peace talks.
