According to reports, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his American counterpart Donald Trump have had their third phone conversation this year. The much-awaited meeting represented the most recent attempts by the two nations to stabilize their relationship, which is still enmeshed in a geopolitical competition.
The call, which started Friday at 8 p.m. Beijing time, also cleared the path for Xi and Trump's eagerly anticipated face-to-face meeting later this year. There has been a growing expectation that the two will meet in person, the first time since the US president's January return to the White House.
It is generally anticipated that the location will be the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in South Korea from October 31 to November 1. Trump has received an official state visit invitation from China, and final preparations are underway, with deals for bulk purchases, including soybeans and Boeing aircraft, in the works.
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The nations are at odds on many topics, such as the tariff war, TikTok, semiconductors, the South China Sea, Taiwan, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, despite both sides' strong desire to stabilize their relations.
The completion of a contract on the short-video platform TikTok, the framework of which was negotiated during the most recent trade discussions in Madrid that concluded , was a top priority for the most recent phone chat. The framework agreement's details are still unknown. The framework indicated a "switch to US-controlled ownership," according to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday. However, he declined to provide further details to "get ahead of the leaders' call on Friday."
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On November 10, a trade truce between the two biggest economies in the world is scheduled to end. According to Bessent, negotiations between Chinese and American officials will resume "in about a month in a different location." After a huge military parade in Tiananmen Square on September 3, Beijing's ability to alter the world order has raised concerns and scrutiny in Washington and other Western capitals, which coincided with Friday's phone conversation between Xi and Trump.
The defense chiefs and top diplomats of both nations held back-to-back talks last week, during which the Taiwan issue once again emerged as Beijing's top concern, perhaps setting the ground for the Xi-Trump chat.
Trump's attitude on the island will be crucial to the outcome of his possible next trip to Beijing, Chinese experts have cautioned.
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Last Friday, Trump also suggested that NATO nations impose up to 100% taxes on China for its purchases of Russian oil, saying that this would be "of great help" in bringing an end to the conflict in Ukraine. With Beijing and Washington exchanging accusations over a Chinese plan to create a nature reserve on the disputed Scarborough Shoal, the escalating tensions have raised worries about the possibility of a mistake in the South China Sea.