Trump, Xi hold first known phone call amid trade war
By: Francesca Chambers
USA Today
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump had his first phone call with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, amid a trade fight in which the world's two largest economies have used tit-for-tat tariffs to force negotiations.
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Xibhua, the Chinese state news agency, said in a June 5 [2025] statement that the two leaders spoke but provided no further details on the call, which prompted a brief jump in futures and then a drop in U.S. stock prices when financial markets opened.
..... The Chinese Embassy in Washington said the leaders spoke at Trump's request. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. It is the first known call between the leaders since Trump took office. Their last reported conversation took place on January 17, [2025] several days before Trump's inauguration.
..... Trump's administration had said a call was likely to take place without specifying when. The White House declined earlier in the week [06/03/2025] to say what the leaders would discuss, though tariffs and new U.S. visa restitutions were expected to be topics.
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Trump accused China in late May [2025] of "totally violating: a preliminary deal on Chinese imports that brought tariffs down from 145% to 30% while their trade teams negotiated a long-term agreement. China also reduced its tariffs on U.S. exports form 125% to 10% as part of the talks.
..... China this week [06/04/2025] accused the United States of severely undermining the 90-day truce with artificial intelligence microchip export controls and its crackdown on visas for students in critical fields or who the United States says are associated with the Chinese Communist Party.
..... In his latest directive on student admissions, Trump said in a June 4 [2025] order that Harvard would no longer be allowed to participate in the international student visa program.
..... China's foreign ministry responded harshly to that directive, telling reporters during a June 5 [2025] pres briefing that Beijing would firmly defend the lawful rights of its scholars.
..... "China opposes politicizing education cooperation," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian.