Trump to Visit Beijing in April        11/25 06:09

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Monday that he has accepted 
an invitation from Chinese leader Xi Jinping to visit Beijing in April and that 
he reciprocated by inviting Xi for a state visit to the U.S. later next year.

   Trump made the announcement after he spoke with Xi by phone nearly a month 
after the two leaders met in person in South Korea, saying they discussed 
issues including Ukraine, fentanyl and purchases of American soybeans.

   "Our relationship with China is extremely strong!" Trump wrote in a Truth 
Social post.

   Beijing, which announced the phone call first, said nothing about the state 
visits but noted that the two leaders discussed trade, Taiwan and Ukraine. Xi 
told Trump that Taiwan's return to mainland China is "an integral part of the 
postwar international order," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said -- a crucial 
issue to Beijing that Trump did not mention in his post.

   The omissions from each side signal that sticking points remain for the two 
superpowers even as they highlight common ground following a series of talks to 
ease a trade war that has threatened the global economy.

   The conversation came as China-Japan relations have plunged to a new low 
following recent remarks from Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. She said 
the military in Japan, a key U.S. ally, could get involved if China were to 
take action against Taiwan, the self-governing island that Beijing says must 
come under its rule.

   "My best guess is China is worried about the escalation (in tensions) with 
Japan. The reference to Taiwan and the post-World War II order directly points 
to the spat with Japan over Taiwan," said Sun Yun, director of the China 
program at the Washington-based think tank Stimson Center. "They also talked 
about Ukraine. That is an issue China is interested in due to the new peace 
negotiation."

   China's relations with Japan sour

   Beijing has denounced Takaichi's remarks, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang 
Yi saying over the weekend that Japan "crossed a red line that should not have 
been touched."

   Xi told Trump on Monday that China and the U.S. should "jointly safeguard 
the victory of World War II" after they fought together against fascism. The 
U.S. has taken no side on the sovereignty of the self-governed island but is 
opposed to the use of force to seize Taiwan. It is obligated by a domestic law 
to provide sufficient hardware to the island to deter any armed attack.

   Trump has maintained strategic ambiguity about whether he would send U.S. 
troops in case of a war in the Taiwan Strait. His administration has urged 
Taiwan to increase its defense budget.

   Taiwan's foreign ministry said it received official notification this month 
that the Trump administration approved $330 million in arms sales to Taiwan, 
including fighter jet parts. Beijing immediately protested, saying it "grossly 
violated" the so-called "One China" principle, by which Beijing considers 
Taiwan to be part of Chinese territory.

   Trump said nothing publicly about Taiwan, whereas the Chinese statement said 
Trump told Xi that the U.S. "understands how important the Taiwan question is 
to China."

   Talk of Ukraine

   The phone call coincided with the latest push by the Trump administration to 
end the war in Ukraine.

   Xi expressed hope for a "fair, lasting and binding peace agreement" in 
Ukraine and said the crisis should be resolved "at its root," the Chinese 
Foreign Ministry said. Xi stressed Beijing's support for "all efforts that are 
conducive to peace," according to the statement.

   However, Western governments have accused Beijing of enabling the war 
through its industrial support for Moscow.

   Trump and Xi discussed trade

   Trump said on social media that he spoke with Xi about "Fentanyl, Soybeans 
and other Farm Products, etc."

   "We have done a good, and very important, deal for our Great Farmers -- and 
it will only get better," Trump wrote.

   Since he met Xi in South Korea in late October, "there has been significant 
progress on both sides in keeping our agreements current and accurate," Trump 
said.

   Since then, China has ordered nearly 2 million metric tons of U.S. soybeans, 
ending a monthslong boycott, according to data by the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture. That is still short of the 12 million metric tons that the White 
House said China has agreed to buy before next year.

   Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said Monday on CNBC that "every sign 
is their commitment remains true that they will indeed buy or purchase 12 
million metric tons."

   The White House also said China pledged to buy 25 million metric tons of 
soybeans in each of the next three years. China has yet to confirm such figures.

   Beijing also placed export restrictions on 13 "drug-making" chemicals to the 
United States, Canada and Mexico, including those that are used to produce the 
synthetic opioid blamed for tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the U.S. 
every year. In return, the Trump administration reduced tariffs on Chinese 
goods.

   In the call, Xi said ties with the U.S. have "generally maintained a steady 
and positive trajectory" following the leaders' summit and that the two sides 
should strive to make "more positive progress," according to the Chinese 
Foreign Ministry.

   With the trade dispute easing, Trump wrote, "Now we can set our sights on 
the big picture."