Trump and Xi Hold First Call in Months, Setting Stage For More Trade Talks
President Donald Trump spoke with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday morning about their ongoing trade war, with Trump saying the two leaders agreed to have their teams resume talks “shortly.”
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the call lasted about 90 minutes and focused “almost entirely on trade,” after representatives from the two largest economies met in Geneva last month and agreed to temporarily reduce tariffs. He said the call “resulted in a very positive conclusion for both Countries” and that the export of rare earth minerals, which are critical to the U.S. automotive industry, had been addressed during the conversation.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]China’s official Xinhua News Agency said the call took place at Trump’s request. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Trump said that upcoming talks will include Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. He added that Xi invited him to visit China and that he reciprocated the offer. “President Xi graciously invited the First Lady and me to visit China, and I reciprocated. As Presidents of two Great Nations, this is something that we both look forward to doing.”
The call was likely the first time the two leaders spoke since Trump took office in January. However, in an April interview with TIME, Trump claimed that Xi had already called him—which Chinese officials disputed.
The talks came one day after Trump said it was difficult to reach a deal with Xi: “I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.
Trade negotiations between the two leaders had stalled after both countries agreed on May 12 to temporarily lower tariffs, with Trump dropping his 145% tariffs on Chinese goods to 30% for 90 days, and Xi easing its levies from 125% to 10%. But the Trump Administration has accused China of reneging on the terms by curbing exports of rare earth minerals used by American manufacturers. China has rejected that charge, saying its export controls apply globally and are not targeted at the United States. In response, the Trump Administration has proposed revoking visas for some Chinese students and issuing new export controls on advanced technologies such as jet engine components and A.I. chips.
“China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last week. “So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!”
Following the call with Xi, Trump said “there should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products.”
Trump has made reducing America’s dependency on Chinese manufacturing a cornerstone of his second-term agenda. Xi, facing a sluggish post-COVID economy and persistent pressures from a real estate slowdown, is pushing to secure China’s dominance in future technologies like electric vehicles and artificial intelligence.
The United States ran a $295 billion trade deficit with China in 2024, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, a figure Trump frequently cites as evidence of unfair trade practices. His Administration maintains that only top-level talks can break the current deadlock. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently said that a leader-to-leader exchange was essential to restart negotiations in earnest.