US President Donald Trump has announced that Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit the White House later this year. This suggests a possible change in relations between the world's two largest economies.
Trump shared this update during an NBC News interview recorded on Wednesday. On that same day, he had a call with Xi to discuss trade, Taiwan, Russia's war in Ukraine and Iran.
"He's coming to the White House, yeah – toward the end of the year," First Post quoted Trump as saying. "These are the two most powerful countries in the world and we have a very good relationship."
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The US President is likely to visit China in April, which is expected to pave the way for Xi's trip to Washington.
Trade war between the US and China
Since Trump returned to the White House a year ago, he has been active in introducing tariffs. He has announced specific taxes on steel, autos and other goods, as well as broader measures to meet various policy goals.
The White House has clashed with Beijing over trade but managed to reach a general agreement with China after a major escalation last spring.
Despite efforts by the United States to reduce its dependence on Chinese manufacturing, the two countries are still closely connected economically. On Wednesday, China warned Trump to be careful about selling arms to Taiwan, which China sees as part of its territory. The Chinese leader also expressed hope that trade and other bilateral issues could be solved peacefully between Beijing and Washington.
"By tackling issues one by one and continuously building mutual trust, we can find the right way for the two countries to get along," Xi said, Wion reported.
Trump said that his conversation with Xi was "excellent" and noted that "we both realise how important it is to keep it that way".
On Friday, the United States called for talks with Russia and China to set new limits on nuclear weapons, but so far Beijing has refused to join disarmament discussions "at this stage".
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Trump's visit to China
Earlier in January, while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning from the World Economic Forum in Davis, Trump had said that the two leaders would meet twice this year.
"We're gonna make a trip. I'm going in April," he said, adding that Xi would visit the US "toward the end of the year".
Trump talked about his good relationship with the Chinese leader. "I've always had a great relationship," he said, but he noted that the connection had worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. "It was a very strained relationship during COVID, but now it's an excellent relationship," he was quoted as saying as per media reports.
The US President highlighted trade as a sign of better relations, especially with China buying more American agricultural products. "Look at all the farm products they're buying now," Trump said. "Soybeans, they're buying a lot of soybeans."
He said the purchases were helping American farmers. "That makes our farmers happy and that makes me happy," Trump said.
Trump also praised Xi personally, calling him "an amazing guy" and speaking positively about the Chinese President's wife. He highlighted the importance of personal diplomacy.
