Xi Jinping and Donald Trump Hold High-Level Phone Talks to Discuss Bilateral Relations

Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump held a crucial phone conversation on Thursday evening, with both leaders emphasizing the importance of maintaining a stable and constructive trajectory in China-U.S. relations. During the call, President Xi likened the relationship between the two nations to a "giant ship," stressing that it falls to the heads of state to guide it away from unnecessary disturbances and disruptions.

President Xi highlighted the significance of a recent economic and trade meeting in Geneva, which was initiated at the request of the United States. He characterized the meeting as an important breakthrough toward resolving ongoing issues through dialogue and consultation—an approach, he noted, that has been widely welcomed by both societies and the global community. "It proved that dialogue and cooperation is the only right choice," Xi stated, underlining the value of ongoing communication as the preferred method of resolving disputes.

In order to build on this progress, Xi called for both sides to make full use of the established economic and trade consultation mechanism, to pursue win-win outcomes with a spirit grounded in equality and mutual respect. He reaffirmed China’s sincerity in these negotiations, but also stressed the nation’s adherence to its core principles. “The Chinese side is sincere about this and, at the same time, has its principles,” he said, reinforcing China’s commitment to honoring its obligations as well as expecting reciprocal action from the United States.

Xi further pointed out that China has been "seriously and earnestly executing" the agreement reached in Geneva, calling on the U.S. to acknowledge these efforts and remove what he described as "negative measures" that have been placed against China. He asserted that both countries should work to implement the Geneva agreement fully and promptly, emphasizing the need for continued and deeper engagement—not just on economic matters, but across foreign affairs, military, law enforcement, and other domains—to foster greater cooperation and mutual understanding.

A notable focus of the call was the sensitive issue of Taiwan. Xi urged the United States to handle the matter with prudence, warning that actions supporting fringe separatists could risk escalating tensions to the point of confrontation or conflict. “The United States must handle the Taiwan question with prudence so that the fringe separatists bent on ‘Taiwan independence’ will not be able to drag China and America into the dangerous terrain of confrontation and even conflict,” Xi cautioned.

For his part, President Trump spoke positively about the relationship, expressing respect for President Xi and describing U.S.-China ties as "very important." He noted that the United States wishes to see the Chinese economy thrive and expressed optimism about the ability of both countries to accomplish "a lot of great things" together. Reaffirming the longstanding U.S. position, Trump stated that the U.S. will honor the one-China policy.

Trump credited the Geneva meeting as a success, stating that it yielded a "good deal" and pledged to work with China to ensure its implementation. He also voiced appreciation for the presence of Chinese students in the United States, remarking that it is something America "loves to have.”

The conversation concluded with Xi extending an invitation to Trump to visit China again—a gesture for which Trump expressed his heartfelt appreciation. Both leaders agreed that their respective teams should continue implementing the Geneva agreement, with plans for another round of meetings in the near future.