Xi Jinping and Trump Discuss Taiwan, Trade, and Ukraine in Strategic Phone Call

Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump discussed Taiwan, trade relations, and the Ukraine conflict during a recent phone call, emphasizing the importance of maintaining positive bilateral relations between the world's two largest economies.

Donald Trump has accepted Xi Jinping's invitation to visit China in April, with Xi scheduled to make a reciprocal visit to Washington later in 2026.

The conversation prominently featured Taiwan, a particularly sensitive issue amid ongoing diplomatic tensions between China and Japan. Xi emphasized to Trump that Taiwan's return to China constitutes an "integral part of the post-war international order" established through joint US-China efforts against "fascism and militarism."

"Given what is going on, it is even more important for us to jointly safeguard the victory of WWII," Xi told Trump during their discussion.

The diplomatic row between Beijing and Tokyo intensified after Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi suggested potential military intervention in the event of an attack on Taiwan. While the United States maintains no official recognition of Taiwan as an independent state, it remains the island's most significant partner and defense supplier.

Following their conversation, Trump described US-China relations as "extremely strong" in a social media post, though he made no reference to Taiwan. According to China's foreign ministry, Trump acknowledged during their call that the United States "understands how important the Taiwan question is to China."

This phone call builds on momentum from their late October meeting in South Korea, their first face-to-face encounter since 2019, which produced tentative agreements on trade issues that have disrupted markets and supply chains.

The preliminary deal reached in October included China's agreement to suspend certain export restrictions on critical minerals for one year. China maintains significant dominance in rare earth mining and processing, which are essential components for sophisticated electronics across multiple industries including automotive, electronics, and defense sectors.

For its part, the United States committed to reducing tariffs on Chinese products, while China agreed to purchase at least 12 million metric tons of American soybeans by year-end, with commitments for 25 million metric tons in 2026.

Xi urged continued momentum in bilateral relations during Monday's call, describing their South Korea meeting as having "recalibrated the course of the giant ship of China-US relations and provided more momentum for it to sail forward steadily."

The Chinese leader noted that since their meeting, China-US relations have "generally maintained a steady and positive trajectory, and this is welcomed by the two countries and the broader international community."

Trump expressed similar optimism in his statement: "This call was a follow up to our highly successful meeting in South Korea, three weeks ago. Since then, there has been significant progress on both sides in keeping our agreements current and accurate. Now we can set our sights on the big picture."

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has indicated that Washington hopes to finalize a deal with Beijing securing supplies of rare earth minerals by the Thanksgiving holiday.

The leaders also discussed the war in Ukraine, a priority for Trump as he advocates for ending the conflict through a new agreement that critics suggest may favor Russian interests over Ukrainian ones. China positions itself as a neutral party in this conflict.

"President Xi emphasized China's support for all efforts that are conducive to peace, and expressed the hope that the various sides would narrow their differences, reach a fair, lasting and binding peace agreement at an early date, and resolve the crisis at its root," according to China's foreign ministry.