President Trump said he had a “very positive” call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday that focused solely on trade disputes and set the table for another round of talks among high-level officials.
Mr. Trump also said Mr. Xi invited him and first lady Melania Trump to visit China,and Mr. Trump reciprocated.
Both sides are hoping to resolve deeper trade disputes after a de-escalation meeting in May knocked down sky-high tariffs that threatened both nation’s economies.
Mr. Trump said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will represent the U.S. side at the next meeting.
“Our respective teams will be meeting shortly at a location to be determined,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social.
Beijing wants Washington to drop its tariffs on Chinese goods and export controls on semiconductors.
Mr. Trump is trying to stem the flow of cheap Chinese goods that undercut U.S. manufacturers and get Beijing to open up its markets, while correcting trade practices the American side views as unfair.
He also wants China to relax its tight controls on the export of rare earth minerals that automakers and military equipment manufacturers rely on.
“The call lasted approximately one and a half hours, and resulted in a very positive conclusion for both Countries,” Mr. Trump posted. “There should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products.”
Unlike other countries that came to the negotiating table, China retaliated against Mr. Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs by imposing hefty levies on U.S. goods — an early sign that Mr. Xi had no plans to cater to Mr. Trump.
Although the Chinese economy is faltering, the U.S. faces pressures of its own, particularly price-sensitive consumers who will chafe at higher, tariff-driven costs in the checkout aisle.
Tit-for-tat tariffs exceeded 100%, prompting de-escalation talks in Geneva, Switzerland, that reduced U.S. tariffs to 30% on Chinese imports and Chinese tariffs on U.S. goods to 10%.
Beijing says the U.S. undermined the Geneva truce by issuing warnings about Huawei chips for artificial intelligence and revoking student visas for Chinese students.
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, said China violated the agreement by keeping a tight grip on the export of rare earth minerals.
The impasse led to efforts by the main leaders to resolve the dispute themselves.
“The conversation was focused almost entirely on TRADE,” Mr. Trump posted. “Nothing was discussed concerning Russia/Ukraine, or Iran.”
