Trump, Chinese President Xi hold call to follow up on major October meeting

President Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping by phone on Monday to coordinate on Taiwan, the war in Ukraine and trade matters that the pair discussed in person one month ago.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the call was designed to solidify “common understandings” that Mr. Xi and Mr. Trump reached during the Oct. 30 meeting in Busan, South Korea.

Mr. Xi raised a source of potential tension — how to treat Taiwan, which Beijing considers to be a breakaway province. American politicians often recognize a “one China” policy while supporting the island’s democratic principles and right to a degree of autonomy, angering the Chinese side.

“President Xi outlined China’s principled position on the Taiwan question. He underscored that Taiwan’s return to China is an integral part of the post-war international order,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

The White House confirmed to The Washington Times that the call occurred on Monday, though it did not provide details.

The leaders discussed Ukraine as Washington, Kyiv, Moscow and European diplomats negotiate a potential end to the deadly Russian invasion that began in early 2022.

Mr. Trump wants the fighting to cease, though some U.S. lawmakers say the terms of any peace deal must be favorable to Ukraine and not hand Russia a victory.

“President Xi emphasized China’s support for all efforts that are conducive to peace, and expressed the hope that the various sides would narrow their differences, reach a fair, lasting and binding peace agreement at an early date, and resolve the crisis at its root,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

The pair also followed up on matters they discussed in Busan, which focused heavily on trade and an agreement to lower tariffs on both sides. China also committed to buying U.S. soybeans, a major request from Mr. Trump.

“The two sides should keep up the momentum, keep moving forward in the right direction on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit, lengthen the list of cooperation and shorten the list of problems, so as to make more positive progress, create new space for China-U.S. cooperation and bring more benefits to the people of both countries and the world,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.