President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke by phone Monday in the latest high-level exchange amid ongoing disputes over tariffs, technology controls and geopolitical friction. The call covered a range of issues, U.S. officials and Chinese state media said, including the war in Ukraine, Taiwan, fentanyl and agricultural trade.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump said the pair talked about “many topics including Ukraine/Russia, Fentanyl, Soybeans and other Farm Products, etc.” He added that a deal benefiting U.S. farmers is already in place and “will only get better,” and described U.S.-China ties as “extremely strong.”
China’s state news agency urged both sides to “keep up the momentum, keep moving 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,” saying further progress would create room for cooperation and bring benefits to people in both countries and globally.
The leaders last spoke by phone in September and met in person Oct. 30 in Busan, South Korea. Following that meeting the U.S. reduced a 20% tariff that had been imposed to limit fentanyl-related imports; the average tariff on Chinese goods remains just under 50%, according to trade data referenced by officials.
In October, U.S. and Chinese trade teams reached a rough understanding that prompted the U.S. to abruptly withdraw a set of additional threatened tariffs. Around the same time, China put on hold for one year a planned export control regime on many refined rare earth materials — a small but strategically important sector for electronics, automobiles, defense systems and semiconductor manufacturing. That pause is temporary, and Beijing could still impose restrictions later.
Trump said Xi invited him to visit Beijing in April, and Trump extended an invitation for Xi to make a state visit to Washington next year; both leaders reportedly agreed on the importance of frequent communication.
The Chinese statement said the two leaders also discussed Beijing’s position on Taiwan and the war in Ukraine. It quoted Xi as saying that “Taiwan’s return to China is an important part of the post-war international order.”
Tensions over Taiwan have spilled into a diplomatic dispute between China and Japan after Japan’s new prime minister warned that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan would pose an “existential threat” to Japan. Chinese diplomats protested the remark at the United Nations, calling it a serious breach, and Beijing has curtailed some tour-group flights to Japan, a move that has hit a significant source of tourism revenue for Tokyo.
The call follows months of mixed signals: high-level engagement and tentative trade compromises on one hand, and persistent frictions over technology, regional security and diplomatic rows on the other. Both sides framed Monday’s conversation as a continuation of efforts to stabilize and expand cooperation while managing differences.