U.S. President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping spoke by phone on Nov. 24, reportedly on the initiative of Xi. The Foreign Ministry of China issued a statement on the call, which was also issued by the Embassy of China in Washington, D.C.
After opening with reference to the “successful meeting in Busan last month,” the Foreign Ministry statement reports on Xi’s remarks to Trump on Taiwan, presenting an important historical context. The Ministry text: “President Xi outlined China’s principled position on the Taiwan question. He underscored that Taiwan’s return to China is an integral part of the post-war international order. China and the U.S. fought shoulder to shoulder against fascism and militarism. Given what is going on, it is even more important for us to jointly safeguard the victory of WWII.”
President Trump posted after the call: “Our relationship with China is extremely strong! This call was a follow up to our highly successful meeting in South Korea, three weeks ago. Since then, there has been significant progress on both sides in keeping our agreements current and accurate. Now we can set our sights on the big picture. 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. We agreed that it is important that we communicate often, which I look forward to doing.”
