Will resume trade talks with China, Trump says after Xi call
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Thursday that his first call with Chinese leader Xi Jinping since returning to office was 'very positive,' announcing that the two countries will hold trade talks in hopes of breaking an impasse over tariffs and global supplies of rare earth minerals.
"Our respective teams will be meeting shortly at a location to be determined," Trump wrote on his social media platform after the call, which he said lasted an hour and a half.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will represent the U.S. side in negotiations.
The Republican president, who returned to the White House for a second term in January, also said Xi 'graciously' invited him and first lady Melania Trump to China, and Trump reciprocated with his own invitation for Xi to visit the United States.
The Chinese foreign ministry said Trump initiated the call between the leaders of the world's two biggest economies.
The ministry said in a statement that Xi asked Trump to 'remove the negative measures' that the U.S. has taken against China. It also said that Trump said 'the U.S. loves to have Chinese students coming to study in America,' although his administration has vowed to revoke some of their visas.
Comparing the bilateral relationship to a ship, Xi told Trump that the two sides need to 'take the helm and set the right course' and to 'steer clear of the various disturbances and disruptions," according to the ministry statement.
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