The Blubber

resident Donald Trump said Thursday that he came away encouraged after a long-anticipated, 90-minute phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, expressing optimism that the ongoing trade dispute between the two countries could be resolved soon.

Describing the conversation as “very good,” Trump wrote on Truth Social that additional discussions would soon take place between their economic teams. He also noted that he and Xi had extended invitations to visit each other’s countries.

According to Trump, the call focused almost exclusively on trade, avoiding other major geopolitical issues such as Iran or Ukraine. He described the outcome as “a very positive conclusion for both Countries.”

The conversation marked a rare moment of dialogue following an extended silence between the two leaders. The contrasting ways in which Washington and Beijing discussed the call ahead of time highlighted the growing divide between the two largest economies.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that during the call, Xi emphasized the need for the U.S. and China to pursue “win-win results in the spirit of equality,” while also calling on Washington to “remove the negative measures taken against China.”

“Recalibrating the direction of the giant ship of China-U.S. relations requires us to take the helm and set the right course,” Xi said.

Tensions had been escalating in the weeks following a 90-day trade truce announced the previous month. Trump had accused Beijing of breaching the agreement, while Chinese officials pushed back, accusing the U.S. of undermining the fragile deal.

In his summary of the call, Trump said he and Xi made progress on the issue of rare earth minerals—a key point of contention—as China had previously imposed export restrictions on them.

“There should no longer be any questions respecting the complexity of Rare Earth products,” Trump stated.

He added that a meeting between their respective economic delegations would take place “shortly,” though the location had not yet been determined. He concluded by saying both leaders looked forward to meeting in person.

“During the conversation, President Xi graciously invited the First Lady and me to visit China, and I reciprocated. As Presidents of two Great Nations, this is something that we both look forward to doing,” Trump wrote.