Trump-Xi call: US to allow Chinese students, mineral trade to resume

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump held a much-anticipated call on Thursday during which they discussed Taiwan and their troubled trading relationship before extending invitations to visit each other’s capitals.

Trump on social media said the call “resulted in a very positive conclusion for both Countries”.

“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,” he added.

The news followed weeks of tit-for-tat accusations as Washington and Beijing blamed each other for breaching a deal reached weeks ago in Geneva when the world’s two largest economies agreed to dramatically cut mutual tariffs for 90 days, an outcome Trump then dubbed a “total reset”.

According to separate readouts, the leaders agreed to reverse blocked visas for Chinese students studying in the US, an irritant for Beijing, and resume Chinese exports of rare earth minerals, an irritant for Washington.

But the tone of the read-outs was notably different, with self-described deal maker Trump’s being more positive and China’s more cautious.

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