Donald Trump and Xi Jinping have ‘good conversation’ about trade war ahead of G20 meeting
- Both leaders have confirmed the phone call, with Trump calling it a ‘good conversation’ and Xi saying differences must be resolved
- They are expected to meet at the two-day G20 leaders’ summit that begins on November 30, although a resolution to the trade war may not come so quickly
US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have agreed to try to resolve their differences on bilateral trade during an upcoming G20 summit as the trade war that started in July continues.
Trump said in a tweet on Thursday that he had a “long and good [phone] conversation” with Xi about their trade issues, while Xi told Chinese media that both nations must work out a proposal to settle trade disputes.
“Over the past period, China and the US have had differences on trade, and this has caused negative impact on the industries of both nations and global trade. China doesn’t want to see that,” Xi was quoted as saying by Chinese state-run channel CCTV.
“China and the US have precedents of resolving difficult trade and economic issues through dialogue. The economic teams of both sides must step up communication and coordination on issues of their concern to put forward a proposal acceptable to both sides.”
In his tweet, Trump said the two leaders “talked about many subjects, with a heavy emphasis on Trade,” adding that “Those discussions are moving along nicely, with meetings being scheduled at the G20 in Argentina.”
Xi also told CCTV that China’s upcoming Import Export Expo in Shanghai can showcase his country’s commitment to opening up and enlarging imports.