Trump says he speaks with Xi Jinping after inauguration
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US President Donald Trump stated that he spoke with Chinese leader Xi Jinping following his inauguration on January 20, amid the looming trade war between the two countries. However, he did not specify when exactly the conversation took place, according to CNN and Bloomberg.
"Yeah, I have talked to him. I have talked to him, and I talk to his people too. His people come in all the time, we have a very good personal relationship," Trump said in an interview with Fox News, recorded last week but published on Monday.
Bloomberg reports that the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The publication reminded that the leaders of the US and China spoke on January 17, a few days before Trump's inauguration. They discussed trade, TikTok, fentanyl, as well as Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war.
After his inauguration, Trump threatened and then followed through with, a promise to impose a 10% tariff on all imports from China. In response to the 10% tariffs, China retaliated with a series of import duties on US goods, including a 15% border tax on imports of coal and liquefied natural gas. Beijing also imposed a 10% tariff on crude oil, agricultural machinery, and cars with large engines. These tariffs took effect on Monday.
CNN, for its part, reports that according to Trump, he did not rush to speak with Xi on the same day the administration imposed the 10% tariff on Chinese imports.
Trump recently threatened to impose tariffs on the EU. In response, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated that if this were to happen, the European Commission’s response would come within a few hours.
