Trump and China’s Xi Jinping discuss trade, Taiwan, Ukraine in call : NPR

President Trump and China's top leader Xi Jinping spoke by phone on Monday, the latest in a flurry of diplomatic and trade talks between the two countries over tariffs and restrictions on technology exports.

IN Truth Social call postPresident Trump said: “We discussed many topics including Ukraine/Russia, fentanyl, soybeans and other agricultural products, etc. We made a good and very important deal for our great farmers – and it will only get better. Our relationship with China is extremely strong!”

China's state news agency said in a statement that both countries should “maintain momentum, continue to move forward in the right direction on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit, lengthen the list of cooperation and shorten the list of problems to make more positive progress, create a new space for China-US cooperation, and bring more benefits to the people of both countries and the world.”

Last time Trump and Xi spoke phone in September. They met last month in Busan, South Korea, after which the United States halved a 20 percent tariff imposed to curb the flow of fentanyl. Taken together, the average tariff on Chinese goods remains just below 50%.

“Since then, China-US relations have generally maintained a steady and positive trajectory, which is welcomed by both countries and the broader international community,” China said in a statement on Monday.

In October, trade negotiation teams from the US and China crossed out a rough trade consensus that saw the US abruptly roll back another 100% of its threatening tariffs on Chinese goods. China has suspended planned export controls on many refined rare earth materials, causing it developed almost a bottleneck.

But the pause in export controls is only for one year, after which China could still cut the U.S. off from these materials, which have become small but critical components in many consumer and defense technologies, including cars, fighter jets and semiconductor chip production.

In his Truth Social post, the president said that Xi had invited him to visit Beijing in April, and that he had also invited Xi to make a state visit to Washington later next year. “We agreed that it is important to communicate often, and I look forward to it,” Trump said.

According to China's statement, the two leaders also spoke Monday about China's claims to Taiwan, a democratic island that China considers part of its territory and one day wants to control; and discussed Ukraine, which China has repeatedly said called sign a peace agreement with Russia, one of the Chinese main trading partners.

During the phone call, Xi Jinping stressed that “Taiwan's return to China is an important part of the post-war international order,” according to a Chinese statement.

China is currently in a diplomatic standoff with Japan, whose new prime minister previously said A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would be an “existential threat” to Japan.

Chinese diplomats have complained The UN called the announcement a “serious violation” and stopped some tour group flights to Japan, which earns billions of dollars a year from Chinese tourism.