Tag: spoke

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post Friday that he spoke that morning with Chinese President Xi Jinping, just three days ahead of his inauguration.

“I just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China. The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately,” Trump wrote. “We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!”

Earlier Friday morning, Chinese state media outlet Xinhua also confirmed that Xi and Trump spoke over the phone.

An official readout from the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that on the call, “President Xi stressed” that both countries “are pursuing their respective dreams” and given past cooperation, should continue to be “partners and friends,”

“President Xi pointed out that it is natural for two big countries with different national conditions to have some disagreements. The important thing is to respect each other’s core interests and major concerns, and find a proper solution,” the statement added.

This month, the Chinese Embassy in Washington confirmed that the nation’s vice president, Han Zheng, would travel to Washington to attend Trump’s inauguration as “President Xi Jinping’s special representative.” It will be the first time a senior Chinese leader attends the inauguration of a U.S. president.

Friday’s call with Xi comes as Trump has repeatedly threatened in recent weeks that he’ll seek to impose tariffs on China after he’s inaugurated, blaming the Asian nation for contributing to the worsening fentanyl crisis.

In a Truth Social post in late November, Trump wrote, “I have had many talks with China about the massive amounts of drugs, in particular Fentanyl, being sent into the United States — But to no avail. Until such time as they stop, we will be charging China an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all of their many products coming into the United States of America.”

In recent weeks, TikTok has also come into focus as a major issue for Trump, as the Chinese-created app is set to be banned in the U.S. on Sunday, one day before the president-elect is sworn in for his second term.

A 2024 bipartisan bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden sought to force TikTok to sell the app to a U.S.-based company or face a ban.

The law was spurred by concerns that ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, was under control of the Chinese Communist Party, prompting privacy and national security concerns.

Trump has tried to intervene, asking the Supreme Court to hit pause on the law so that the incoming Trump administration can evaluate the ways it could potentially save TikTok. But on Friday morning, the Supreme Court said that it planned to allow the ban to take effect.

Two Biden administration officials earlier this week said that in the waning hours of the administration, they would not seek to enforce the penalties against TikTok in the law if the app continued to operate after Sunday. Trump takes office at noon on Monday.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew is one of the many tech leaders planning to attend Trump’s inauguration.