American and Chinese officials have confirmed that Xi Jinping and President Trump had a rare phone conversation Monday morning. The Wall Street Journal, calling it an "unusual diplomatic move," reports that sources say the Chinese leader was the one who initiated the call. According to Chinese state media, the two leaders discussed Ukraine and Taiwan. China, which has backed Russia diplomatically and economically since its 2022 invasion, now appears keen to play a more public role in any peace process for Ukraine. According to Chinese state media, Xi told Trump that China supports "all efforts committed to peace" and hopes for a "fair, lasting, and binding peace agreement" to resolve the Ukraine crisis.
"China is watching the Ukraine peace deal and feels the need to be more involved," said Yun Sun, who heads the China program at the Stimson Center think tank, tells the Journal. According to state news agency Xinhua, Xi pressed the issue of Taiwan amid rising tensions, calling its "return to China" an "important component of the postwar international order," per Reuters. Xinhua reported that Xi told Trump: "China and the United States once fought side by side against fascism and militarism, and should now work together to safeguard the outcomes of World War Two." According to Xinhua, Trump told Xi that the
US "understands the importance of the Taiwan issue to China."
State media said Taiwan was a main focus of the call, but Trump didn't mention it in a post on Truth Social later Monday. "We discussed many topics including Ukraine/Russia, Fentanyl, Soybeans and other Farm Products," Trump said. He described the call as "very good" and said it was a follow-up to their meeting in South Korea last month. "Now we can set our sights on the big picture," he wrote. "To that end, President Xi invited me to visit Beijing in April, which I accepted, and I reciprocated where he will be my guest for a State Visit in the U.S. later in the year."
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