(Bloomberg) — Donald Trump said he had an exchange with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in recent days, the first clear indication of direct contact between the two men since the former US president’s reelection in November.
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In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press that aired over the weekend and was taped on Friday, Trump said “we’ve had communication” as recently as last week, without specifying when that was or what was discussed. They last met in person in June 2019 on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Japan.
“I had an agreement with President Xi, who I got along with very well,” Trump said, referring to previous talks on curbing the flow of fentanyl into the US.
Trump’s remarks make clear that contacts at the highest level have resumed between Beijing and Trump’s camp. The exchange with Xi follows outreach by leaders of Washington’s top trading partners — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum — who both spoke with Trump last month following his public threats to impose tariffs in retaliation for illegal immigration and the trafficking of drugs like fentanyl.
The world’s two biggest economies are bracing for a renewed standoff after Trump promised during the campaign to apply 60% levies on goods imported from China, a level that would decimate trade between them.
The president-elect has named a number of high-profile China hawks to key posts in the administration. Last week, Trump nominated ex-Senator David Perdue as US ambassador to China.
Beijing is also ratcheting up trade tensions by banning the export of several materials with high-tech and military applications.
When asked about communication between the two leaders on Monday at a regular press conference in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning sidestepped the question, saying only that China’s policy toward the US was “consistent and clear.”
“We would like to work with the US under the principle of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and cooperation,” she said.
US-China ties have stabilized over the past year, with progress being made on curbing the flow of fentanyl. Even so, Trump last month accused Beijing of reneging on its pledges and threatened retribution for what he said was China’s failure to stop fentanyl from pouring into the US.
Following Trump’s election win, Xi sent him a congratulatory message and expressed the desire to keep relations “healthy and sustainable.”
The same month, Xi spelled out China’s “four red lines” in a meeting with President Joe Biden at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, messaging widely seen as aimed at Trump.
The US must avoid any moves to undermine the Communist Party’s grip on power, push the nation toward democracy, contain its economic rise or encourage Taiwan’s independence, Xi warned.
Complex Ties
The relationship between Xi and Trump started out warmly during the former US president’s first-term in office. But it suffered through the trade war and the pandemic, when Trump referred to Covid-19 as the “Chinese Virus.”
Trump has made no secret of his admiration for Xi.
“He controls 1.4 billion people with an iron fist,” Trump told comedian and podcaster Joe Rogan in an interview before he was elected. “I mean, he’s a brilliant guy, whether you like it or not.”
–With assistance from Allen Wan.
(Updates with Foreign Ministry comments starting in eighth paragraph.)
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