Washington: US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a “very positive” phone conversation on Wednesday. The two leaders discussed a wide range of geopolitical and economic issues as both sides seek to stabilise ties and prepare the ground for Trump’s planned state visit to China in April.
Describing the call as “long and thorough”, Trump said the talks came at a time when global alliances are changing and competition between the world’s two biggest powers is strong. “Many important subjects were discussed,” he wrote, pointing to a broad and substantive exchange between Washington and Beijing.
In a post on Truth Social, the US president said he had just completed an “excellent telephone conversation” with Xi, during which they discussed trade, military matters, Taiwan, the Russia-Ukraine war, Iran, energy imports and planned aircraft engine deliveries. He said the discussions were “all very positive”.
Trump also highlighted what he described as the strength of his personal relationship with the Chinese leader. “The relationship with China, and my personal relationship with President Xi, is an extremely good one,” he said, adding that both leaders “realise how important it is to keep it that way”.
He expressed confidence that this would result in “many positive results” during the rest of his presidency.
One of the outcomes of the call was Beijing’s agreement to increase purchases of American soybeans, a long-standing demand from US farmers and a politically important issue for Trump. According to US officials, Xi agreed to raise China’s soybean imports to 20 million tons this season (up from an earlier target of 12 million tons) and to further increase purchases to 25 million tons next season.
Trump said China was also “considering the purchase of additional agricultural products”.
The announcement pushed soybean prices higher, as markets reacted to expectations that China would buy more US farm goods.
Apart from agricultural trade, Trump said the two leaders also discussed China’s purchase of US oil and gas, as Washington looks to strengthen economic ties with Beijing. He said energy cooperation was part of a broader effort to expand trade links between the two countries.
While no detailed commercial agreements were announced, US officials said increased energy trade could help diversify China’s import sources and strengthen economic connections.
Geopolitical context and tensions
The wide-ranging call took place at a time of rising global tensions and competing diplomatic efforts. Chinese state media reported that Xi had spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier the same day, highlighting China’s growing role in talks among major world powers.
Analysts said China’s engagement with both Washington and Moscow shows a careful balancing act as Beijing manages its strategic relationships during the long-running Ukraine conflict.
Taiwan was also discussed during the conversation. According to Chinese reports, Xi stressed that the Taiwan issue is the “most important” and sensitive matter in China-US relations and urged caution over US arms sales to the island. Trump acknowledged Taiwan in his social media post but did not provide details on any specific understandings reached.
The discussion also touched on Iran. Trump said the two leaders talked about the “current situation with Iran”. The United States has been pushing to build international pressure on Tehran over its regional activities and nuclear ambitions, while China continues to maintain trade ties with Iran, including in the energy sector.
Diplomacy and domestic politics
A key focus of the talks was Trump’s plan to visit China in April, a trip he said he was “very much looking forward to.” Both governments see the visit as an opportunity to strengthen economic and strategic cooperation. U.S. officials said preparatory discussions between senior diplomats and trade officials are expected to continue in the coming weeks.
Despite the upbeat public messaging, analysts caution that there are deep‑seated disagreements between the two countries. Issues such as technology competition, intellectual property rights and differing security interests in the Asia-Pacific continue to be possible flashpoints.
At home, US opinion is divided over China policy, with critics warning that closer engagement could weaken American leverage on sensitive issues such as Taiwan, human rights and regional security.
For now, Trump’s administration is presenting the call as a diplomatic milestone. Whether this momentum leads to real and lasting policy changes will depend on the outcome of Trump’s April visit to Beijing and the negotiations that follow between the two capitals.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: ZEE News
