US president-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) discussed Taiwan, trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump heads back to the White House with vows to impose tariffs and other measures on the US’ biggest rival.
Despite that, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
The call came the same day that the US Supreme Court backed a law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company.
Photo: AFP
“We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for a good start of the China-US relationship during the new US presidency and are willing to secure greater progress in China-US relations from a new starting point,” Xi said in the call.
Trump confirmed on his Truth Social platform that he had spoken with Xi, saying that “the call was a very good one for both China and the USA.”
They talked about trade, fentanyl and TikTok and more, he said.
“President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!” Trump wrote.
His transition team pointed to the social media post when asked for more details on the call.
The past few days have shown a warmer side of the US-China relationship, which is expected to be one of the main focuses of Trump’s second term. In his campaign, Trump threatened to raise tariffs on Chinese goods by as much as 60 percent and later pledged an additional 10 percent hike over allegations China has failed to stem the flow of illicit drugs into the US.
Experts believe that Trump would expand controls on products sold to China, too.
However, they also have pointed to Trump vowing to “save TikTok” even though he tried to ban the social media platform the last time he was in the White House.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, Trump said on social media that his “decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!”
Trump is siding with TikTok, because he believes the social media platform helped him in the 2024 election, American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Hal Brands said.
“So, I think it is a sign that Trump’s own convictions on China are fairly changeable, given what is politically advantageous to him,” Brands said. “He certainly isn’t a cold warrior at heart. In my view, his goal is to reach some sort of deal or accommodation with Beijing over the long term, even though he may well use confrontational tactics to build the leverage that is needed for that in the short- and medium-term.”
Trump in the past has praised his relationship with Xi and suggested China could help mediate international crises such as the war in Ukraine.
However, Beijing and Washington have been locked in a tense economic competition since Trump’s first term, when relations shifted toward a more contentious rivalry. US President Joe Biden also has imposed limits on the sale of advanced technology to China and slapped high tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles and solar cells.
US Senator Marco Rubio, Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, said at his confirmation hearing this week that China was “the most potent and dangerous near-peer adversary this nation has ever confronted.”
In the call on Friday, Xi told Trump that differences are inevitable between the two powers, but the key lies with “respecting each other’s core interests and major concerns and finding a proper solution,” the Chinese ministry said.
Xi urged Trump to approach the Taiwan issue “with prudence,” because it is about China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“Confrontation and conflict should not be an option for the two countries,” Xi said.
Beijing claims Taiwan as Chinese territory and vows to annex it by force if necessary. The US is obligated by a domestic law to provide Taipei with sufficient hardware and technology to fend off any invasion.
Trump has accused Taiwan of pulling some of the semiconductor industry from the US, but US-Taiwan relations also significantly improved during his first term.
Taiwan is sending Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and seven others to Trump’s inauguration, tasked with conveying Taiwan’s commitment to democracy and “best wishes” to Trump and his administration.
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