U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, marking the first direct conversation between the two leaders since the onset of the U.S.-China trade war on April 2, when the United States imposed reciprocal tariffs on Chinese goods.
The call, which lasted approximately 90 minutes, appeared to break the deadlock in trade negotiations that had stalled in recent weeks. Following the discussion, Trump announced that trade delegations from both countries would soon resume meetings.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump emphasized the importance of China’s export of rare earth minerals and noted that Xi had invited him and First Lady Melania Trump to visit China. Trump maintained his characteristically upbeat tone, portraying the call as another example of his effective diplomacy, similar to how he has framed past interactions with China, Russia, and Iran.
However, the Chinese government issued a readout with a notably different emphasis. The Chinese Foreign Ministry underscored that the call was initiated at Trump’s request and highlighted topics not mentioned in the American account—including concerns over Taiwan and the treatment of Chinese students in the United States. Beijing’s statement reiterated China’s objection to Trump’s previous threats to revoke student visas, a topic absent from both Trump’s comments and U.S. media coverage.
The phone call followed a period of heightened tension. Last Thursday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent publicly confirmed that trade talks had stalled. The next day, Trump lashed out on social media, claiming he had only agreed to the temporary tariff pause in May because China’s economy was on the verge of collapse, and he accused Beijing of violating the deal.
On Wednesday morning, prior to the call with Xi, Trump posted that President Xi was “VERY TOUGH” and “EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH”—a continuation of his more combative tone.
Notably, Trump stated that he did not raise the topics of Russia’s war in Ukraine or the ongoing tensions with Iran during the call, issues that China is unlikely to engage on with Washington. The timing of the Xi call came just one day after Trump spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That call followed remarks by Putin declaring that negotiations with Ukraine were now pointless and that he may soon classify the Ukrainian government as a terrorist entity, potentially signaling an escalation in Russia’s military operations.