US President Donald Trump has announced plans to host Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House later this year, as the world’s two largest economies seek to reset ties strained by a protracted trade war.
Trump made the comment in an interview with NBC News filmed on Wednesday — the same day he and Xi held a wide-ranging discussion covering trade, Taiwan, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the situation in Iran.
Trump is expected to travel to China in April, with Xi visiting the United States afterwards. “He’s coming to the White House, yeah—toward the end of the year,” Trump said in the interview, portions of which aired on Sunday. “These are the two most powerful countries in the world, and we have a very good relationship.”
Since returning to office a year ago, Trump has imposed numerous tariffs on steel, autos, and other sectors while also enacting broader measures aimed at achieving a range of policy goals. Although the White House has clashed with Beijing over trade, the two countries reached a broad truce following a major escalation last spring.
Despite US efforts to reduce dependence on Chinese manufacturing, the economies remain closely intertwined.
During Wednesday’s conversation, Xi cautioned Trump to proceed with “caution” over the sale of arms to Taiwan, which China claims as its territory. The Chinese president also expressed hope that bilateral issues, including trade, could be resolved amicably. “By tackling issues one by one and continuously building mutual trust, we can forge a right way for the two countries to get along,” Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Trump described the discussion as “excellent” and said, “We both realise how important it is to keep it that way.”
Meanwhile, the United States has called for three-way talks with Russia and China to establish new limits on nuclear weapons, but Beijing has so far declined to participate in disarmament negotiations “at this stage”.
