President Donald Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, with tensions still running high over the trade war with China.
Trump reached out and asked for the call, according to Chinese state media, which first revealed that the two leaders spoke.
After the call, the president shared his own post on Truth Social and said the call lasted about one and a half hours and focused almost entirely on trade.
“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,” he wrote.
Trump claimed it “resulted in a very positive conclusion for both Countries” and said teams will meet shortly at a location to be determined.
On Wednesday, Trump complained about the difficulty of reaching a deal with China in a social media post.
“I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!” he wrote.
Trump wrote on Thursday that during the call, Xi invited him and First Lady Melania to visit China and he reciprocated.
“As Presidents of two Great Nations, this is something that we both look forward to doing,” he said.
Talks have been stalled between the two major economies since the U.S. and China agreed in mid-May to slash massive tariffs in the escalating trade war for 90 days.
The U.S. had agreed to drop its 145 percent tax on China to 30 percent while China agreed to lower its 125 percent tariff on U.S. goods to 10 percent.
The call came as the Trump administration has been attempting to reach deals with countries around the globe after the president announced sweeping tariffs earlier this year, only to back away from them.
Trump wrote that upcoming talks would include the treasury secretary, commerce secretary and U.S. trade representative.
The tariffs on China that have remained in place include a 20 percent tariff that the U.S. has used to pressure Beijing to take action to help stop the flow of fentanyl across the U.S. border. There is also the 10 percent baseline tariff the U.S. imposed on most countries around the world.
As the Trump administration seeks to renegotiate trade deals, the U.S. Trade Representative sent a letter to partners this week pressing them to produce their best trade offers.
The White House characterized the letter, which was first reported by Reuters, as a “friendly reminder” ahead of the self-imposed deadline just weeks away.
However, while the U.S. has been pushing other countries to reach deals, China has been playing hardball with the Trump administration since the start.
On Friday, Trump blasted China on social media and accused the top trade partner of violating its agreement with the U.S. He wrote, “So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!”
Soon after, the president said in the Oval Office that he would speak with Xi and hopefully work it out.
Trump officials have argued that the tariff threats are a negotiating tool, but as the president looks to reshuffle global trade, his backtracking at times has led to the acronym TACO being used on Wall Street.
The term coined by a Financial Times columnist stands for “Trump Always Chickens Out.” When the president was asked about it in the Oval Office recently, it appeared to hit a nerve. Trump disputed the characterization and blasted the “nasty” question.
