Donald Trump sends letter to Xi Jinping seeking ‘constructive relationship’ with China
In the letter sent on Wednesday, US president also wished the Chinese people a prosperous Year of the Rooster
US President Donald Trump has finally broken the ice with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping after sending him a letter on Wednesday saying he was looking forward to working with him “to develop a constructive relationship” between the two nations, the White House said in a statement.
Mainland observers said that by sending his first letter to Xi, Washington was reaching out to Beijing, even though Trump still had not set up a phone call with Xi since taking office on January 20.
However, the two leaders did manage to talk soon after Trump won the US presidential election in November.
Trump’s letter also thanked Xi for his congratulatory note sent after his inauguration in January and wished the Chinese people a happy Year of the Rooster, according to White House spokesman Sean Spicer.
“President Trump stated that he looks forward to working with President Xi to develop a constructive relationship that benefits both the United States and China,” he said in a statement on Wednesday night.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said on Thursday at a regular press briefing that Xi had received Trump’s letter, and that Beijing “highly appreciated” Trump’s good wishes to Xi and the Chinese people.