US President-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a phone conversation on Friday, ahead of Trump’s return to the White House, both pledging to adopt a positive approach to strengthening their countries’ relationship.
Xi expressed hopes for a strong start to their relations, while Trump shared his expectation of resolving various issues together. Despite threatening heavy tariffs during his election campaign, including a 10% tariff on Chinese goods, Trump has shown willingness to engage in talks with Xi, whom he has long admired.
Key issues discussed included trade balance, fentanyl, and the TikTok controversy. Trump highlighted the importance of addressing fentanyl trafficking and trade issues, which have fueled tensions between the two nations. The US has raised concerns over TikTok, citing national security risks, leading to a law demanding ByteDance sell or shut down the platform. Trump, however, has pledged to save TikTok, a stance he reiterated during his campaign.
Trump’s return to the Oval Office has heightened concerns that tensions between the US and China could escalate, especially with Beijing reacting sharply to US criticism of China. Additionally, Marco Rubio, Trump’s nominee for Secretary of State, referred to China as a “dangerous near-peer adversary,” prompting Beijing to call for an end to “unwarranted attacks.”
President Xi has previously expressed China’s willingness to engage in dialogue with the US, though he cautioned that a trade war would have no winners. The outgoing Biden administration worked to ease tensions, acknowledging some progress on issues like fentanyl trafficking. Biden’s farewell remarks emphasized that China would not surpass the US as the world’s dominant superpower.
