‘We have a deal,’ Trump says, after trade talks with China’s Xi

  • White House said talks would come ‘sometime this week’
  • Trump previously accused China of violating a temporary trade deal
  • China contends it has ‘faithfully’ held up its end of the agreement

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(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke on the phone for nearly 90 minutes Thursday, reaching what Trump called a “very positive conclusion” amid rising tensions over trade disputes.

The conversation came at Trump’s request, Chinese state media first reported. Trump later confirmed the call on social media.

“I just concluded a very good phone call with President Xi, of China, discussing some of the intricacies of our recently made, and agreed to, Trade Deal,” Trump wrote.

“We have a deal,” Trump reportedly said. “And we’re just going to make sure that everyone understands what the deal is.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and top trade representative Jamieson Greer are expected to meet with Chinese officials “shortly at a location to be determined.”

“During the conversation, President Xi graciously invited the First Lady and me to visit China, and I reciprocated. As Presidents of two Great Nations, this is something that we both look forward to doing,” Trump said on social media.

China, US caught in tariff standoff

Prior to Thursday’s call, both countries had accused the other of violating trade agreements amid tense tariff negotiations.

Last week, Bessent accused China of disrupting the supply chains of India and Europe, and Trump accused China of “totally” violating a 90-day agreement reached last month.

The deal slashed Trump’s sky-high tariffs on Chinese imports from 145% to 30%, while Beijing dropped its own from 125% to 10%.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for China‘s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said his country has “responsibly and faithfully” upheld its end of the agreement.

“Without any factual basis, the U.S. falsely accuses and smears China, and has taken extreme suppression measures against China such as new chip export controls, blocking EDA sales, and announcing plans to revoke Chinese students’ visas,” spokesperson Lin Jian’s statement reads in part.

NewsNation’s Robert Sherman contributed to this report.

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