U.S. President Donald Trump said he held a "very good" phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday during which the leaders discussed the war in Ukraine, fentanyl trafficking and a deal for farmers.
"We have done a good, and very important, deal for our Great Farmers — and it will only get better. Our relationship with China is extremely strong!," he said in a Truth Social post. Trump also said he had accepted Xi's invitation to visit China in April and that Xi would visit the U.S. later in the year.
Trump's statement confirmed that he will visit China in April and that Xi will come to Washington later in 2026.
However, unlike the official Chinese readout which described Taiwan as being prominent during the call, Trump did not refer to the dispute.
Chinese President Xi Jinping raised the sensitive Taiwan issue during a phone call with US President Donald Trump on Monday, while also emphasising the need to consolidate the “fragile” trade truce between the two powers.
According to China’s foreign ministry, the conversation covered a range of topics, including Ukraine, but Taiwan dominated the exchange amid a simmering diplomatic standoff between Beijing and Japan over the self-governing island.
Reaffirming China’s long-standing claim, Xi told Trump that Taiwan’s return was an “integral part of the post-war international order” shaped by the joint US–China struggle against “fascism and militarism.” He added: “Given what is going on, it is even more important for us to jointly safeguard the victory of WWII.”
The tensions with Japan flared after newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested Tokyo could consider military intervention if Taiwan came under attack — a remark that triggered sharp protests from Beijing.
While the United States does not formally recognise Taiwan as a sovereign state, it remains Taipei’s key defence partner and arms supplier, a position that often places Washington at odds with Beijing.
After the call, Trump lauded the “extremely strong” state of US–China relations in a social media post but did not mention Taiwan. However, China’s foreign ministry said Trump had conveyed that the United States “understands how important the Taiwan question is to China.”
The White House and Beijing also confirmed new high-level diplomacy in 2026, with Trump scheduled to visit China in April and Xi set to travel to Washington later that year.
*With Agency Inputs
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