Trump Says He Spoke To Xi For 90 Minutes Thursday In Trade-Focused Call–Though Outcome Is Unclear

Trump mostly described the approximately 90-minute call in general terms, writing that it was “very good” and “resulted in a very positive conclusion for both Countries.”

Addressing his administration’s main sticking point about the state of economic relations between the two countries, Trump said “there should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products,” though it’s unclear what the resolution might be.

The Trump administration has expressed concerns China could be deliberately violating the agreement reached in Geneva to reduce their tariffs on each other by continuing to impose export controls on seven types of rare earth minerals, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent telling CBS on Sunday “maybe it’s a glitch in the Chinese system, maybe it’s intentional . . . we’ll see after the president speaks with the party chairman.”

The Chinese Embassy said earlier Thursday Trump initiated the call, which comes weeks after after Trump sharply reduced the tariff rate he imposed on China earlier this year, but has taken other actions targeting China, including revoking visas for Chinese students in the U.S.

Trump has been angling for a phone call with Xi for months and the White House said earlier in week the talks were “likely” to happen in the coming days.

Trump expressed his frustration with Beijing on Wednesday, writing on Truth Social that Xi “is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!” though it’s unclear what exactly Trump might have been referring to.