🔗 Share this article

Former President Donald Trump has confirmed that he agreed to go to the Chinese capital in April and invited Chinese President Xi Jinping for a official visit next year, after a discussion between the two leaders.

Trump and Xi—who held talks recently in South Korea—talked about a variety of topics including trade, the situation in Ukraine, the opioid crisis, and the island of Taiwan, as stated by the president and China's foreign ministry.

"Our relationship with China is highly solid!" Trump stated in a social media update.

Beijing's press outlet published a comment that noted both states should "continue advancing, keep moving forward in the positive way on the foundation of equality, respect and shared interests".

Earlier Talks and Commerce Progress

The officials met in Busan in last October, subsequently they reached a ceasefire on import duties. The US chose to reduce a 20 percent duty in half targeting the movement of the drug fentanyl.

Duties remain on imports and stand at nearly 50 percent.

"Since then, the bilateral relations has generally maintained a stable and upward path, and this is greeted positively by the two countries and the international community at large," the Chinese statement said.

• America then pulled back a warning of double tariffs on products, while China put off its intention to implement its recent phase of restrictions on rare earths.

Commerce Discussions

The administration's spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that the Monday call with Xi—which lasted about an hour—was mainly about trade.

"We are pleased with what we've witnessed from the Chinese, and they feel the same way," she said.

Broader Topics

Along with talking about trade, Xi and Trump raised the topics of the Ukraine war and the Taiwan situation.

Xi stated to Trump that Taiwan's "integration into China" is critical for Beijing's perspective for the "global system after conflicts".

China has been part of a diplomatic battle with Japan, a US ally, over the longstanding "vague stance" on the control of the independently administered island.

Earlier this month, Japan's leader Sanae Takaichi said that a potential assault from Beijing on Taiwan could lead to a Japanese military response.

Trump, though, did not refer to the island in his social media update about the call.

America's envoy to Tokyo, George Glass, noted before that the US backs Tokyo in the wake of China's "pressure".