Trump, Xi Hold Wide-Ranging Call Ahead of April Visit, With Taiwan and Iran in Focus

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he held a “long and thorough” phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, covering a broad range of geopolitical and economic issues ahead of Trump’s planned visit to China in April.

Trump said the discussion touched on Iran, Russia’s war in Ukraine, China’s energy purchases, trade ties, and his upcoming trip. Beijing’s official readout, however, placed clear emphasis on Taiwan, calling it “the most important issue” in U.S.-China relations and urging Washington to handle arms sales to the island with caution.

China considers Taiwan part of its territory, a claim rejected by the democratically governed island. The call came after Washington approved up to $11.15 billion in arms sales to Taiwan in December, one of the largest such packages to date.

Analysts said Beijing appeared keen to restate its red lines on Taiwan without derailing diplomatic momentum ahead of Trump’s visit. Trump, for his part, stressed commercial ties, highlighting Chinese purchases of U.S. oil, gas, agricultural products and aviation equipment.

Trump said China agreed to increase its soybean imports to 20 million tonnes this season and 25 million tonnes next season. Analysts noted Trump’s deal-focused approach could work in Beijing’s favor, with expectations building around a potential large aircraft agreement.

Evercore ISI’s Neo Wang said a deal involving up to 500 Boeing aircraft could be announced during Trump’s April visit, potentially paving the way for the removal of remaining fentanyl-related tariffs on Chinese exports.

While Trump described the call as “excellent” and emphasized his strong personal relationship with Xi, China struck a more measured tone, saying differences could be managed through reciprocity.

Notably absent from both sides’ statements were references to rare earths and Venezuela. Analysts said this could signal temporary stability on critical minerals, while tensions over Venezuela remain unresolved after recent U.S. actions there.

Iran also featured prominently, with Trump and Xi discussing the issue just hours after Xi spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. With U.S.-Iran talks scheduled for Friday and China a major buyer of Iranian oil, analysts expect Middle East tensions to remain a key factor in U.S.-China diplomacy ahead of Trump’s visit.