Trump says trade deal with China ‘in very good shape' after call with Xi
Washington: US President Donald Trump said a trade deal with China was in good shape and accepted an invitation to visit Beijing after a 'very good phone call' with President Xi Jinping – their first since Trump returned to power in January.
Trump said the call straightened out 'complexities' that remained from the preliminary agreement to lower tariffs struck during talks in Switzerland last month, including trade in rare earth minerals.
'I think we're in very good shape with China and the trade deal,' he said in the Oval Office shortly after the phone call. 'We've got a deal, we're just going to make sure that everybody understands what the deal is.'
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will lead a delegation to meet top Chinese officials and finalise details of the agreement, Trump said.
He said the call lasted about an hour and a half and focused almost exclusively on trade, without canvassing the war in Ukraine or concerns Iran's nuclear technology.
Trump said Xi had 'graciously' invited him and First Lady Melania Trump to visit China, and he reciprocated with an invitation for Xi to visit Washington.
'As Presidents of two Great Nations, this is something that we both look forward to doing,' Trump wrote on his social media platform TruthSocial. No dates were set for the visits.
The Chinese foreign ministry said Trump initiated the call between the leaders of the world's two biggest economies.
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