Trump Announces April Visit to Beijing After ‘Very Good’ Call With Xi, Signals Thawing in U.S.-China Trade Tensions

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that he held a “very good” telephone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping in which the two leaders discussed trade, the war in Ukraine and fentanyl, and made plans for reciprocal visits next year.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Xi invited him to Beijing in April — an invitation he accepted — and that he extended a reciprocal invitation for Xi to make a state visit to the United States later in 2026.

“I just had a very good telephone call with President Xi, of China,” Trump wrote. “We discussed many topics including Ukraine/Russia, Fentanyl, Soybeans and other Farm Products, etc. ... Our relationship with China is extremely strong!”

Trump described the call as a follow-up to what he called a “highly successful” meeting with Xi on the sidelines of an international summit in South Korea three weeks ago, where the two leaders reached agreements on tariffs, increased Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans and cooperation to curb the export of chemicals used to produce fentanyl.

The President said both sides have made “significant progress” in implementing those agreements and can now focus on “the big picture.” He emphasized the importance of frequent communication between the two leaders.

The call comes amid a year of heightened trade tensions between the U.S. and China, marked by escalating tariffs and retaliatory measures that disrupted global supply chains and raised economic uncertainty. Early in 2025, Trump invoked emergency powers to impose a 10% baseline tariff on all Chinese imports, citing concerns over fentanyl precursors and trade imbalances, followed by hikes to 20% in April amid China's export controls on rare earth minerals. Beijing responded with tariffs on U.S. agricultural goods, coal and liquefied natural gas, as well as non-tariff barriers like restrictions on American firms. The October summit in South Korea yielded a partial truce, with the U.S. lowering the fentanyl-related tariff to 10% effective Nov. 10 and suspending further reciprocal duties until 2026, while China eased controls on critical minerals, resumed soybean purchases and curbed fentanyl chemical exports. Analysts warn that unresolved issues, including technology transfers and intellectual property, could reignite the dispute, potentially leading to broader welfare losses and trade contractions.

-Real America's Voice

#####