Donald Trump has sent mixed signals this week about whether he was planning to speak to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping soon.
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But this uncertainty could also reflect caution on the part of Beijing as its leaders were reluctant to just “hop on a call”, according to diplomatic observers, who said the timing and nature of any conversation may offer more clues about China’s approach to Trump.
In the same week that tariffs on Chinese goods came into effect, Trump moved from signalling talks would happen within “24 hours” to saying he was “in no rush”.
Pang Zhongying, a visiting senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, suggested this was part of Trump’s personal style, likening it to his earlier claim he could end the Ukraine war in a day.
“For leaders of other countries, there may not be a problem. But as far as China is concerned, holding a phone call is not that simple,” Pang said.
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It was not common practice for China’s top leaders to “pick up the phone … to resolve issues” and the “Chinese way is different from Donald Trump’s way”, he added.