China Says "Trump and Xi Jinping Hold Phone Call"...First Direct Conversation in Three Months (Update)

Reports by People’s Daily and Xinhua News Agency

Donald Trump (left), President of the United States, and Xi Jinping, President of China, are standing side by side for a commemorative photo before the bilateral summit at the G20 (Group of Twenty) summit held on the 29th in Osaka, Japan. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Amid the ongoing tariff war between the United States and China, President Donald Trump of the United States and President Xi Jinping of China held a phone conversation on the 19th (local time) for the first time in about three months.

Chinese state media, including the People’s Daily and Xinhua News Agency, briefly reported, “President Xi spoke with President Trump by phone today.”

This call followed the high-level US-China trade talks held in Madrid, Spain, on the 14th and 15th, during which a broad agreement was reached regarding the handling of TikTok’s US operations.

It is believed that the two leaders may have discussed issues such as the TikTok matter, tariffs, export controls on rare earth elements and semiconductors, and China’s purchase of US soybeans.

It has also been reported that both sides are negotiating the possibility of President Trump visiting China around the time of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which will be held in South Korea for two days starting October 31.

Previously, the two leaders spoke by phone in January of this year, just before the launch of Trump’s second administration, and again in June. During the June call, President Trump stated, “President Xi invited me to visit China, and I responded positively.”