US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke by phone on Monday to discuss trade, Taiwan and Ukraine, the White House and Chinese officials said.
During the call, Xi told Trump that Taiwan's return to mainland China is"an important part of the post-war international order," according to the official Chinese news agency Xinhua.
A White House official confirmed that the call took place Monday morning, but offered no details about the conversation.
The dialogue came days after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi declared that Japan's military could become involved if China took action against Taiwan, the self-governed island that Beijing maintains should be under its control.
In the phone call, Xi stated that China and the United States, which fought together during the war, should “jointly safeguard the victorious outcome of World War II.”
China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to use force to bring the self-governed island under its control.
According to Xinhua, Xi also urged both countries to “maintain momentum in relations” after a meeting last month in South Korea where the two leaders sought to ease a devastating trade war.
Trump and Xi met in October for the first time since 2019, engaging in closely watched talks as the world's two largest economies have remained locked in a trade war.
The dispute between Washington and Beijing, which ranges from rare earth elements to soybeans and port tariffs, has shaken markets and hampered supply chains for months.
Xi told Trump on Monday that the “successful” meeting in South Korea “helped calibrate the course and inject momentum into the steady forward movement of the giant ship of China-U.S. relations,” Xinhua reported.
Since the meeting, ties between China and the United States have remained stable and continued to improve, which has been widely welcomed by both countries and the international community, Xi added.
The two leaders also discussed trade, but the Chinese statement did not reveal any concrete agreements on issues such as purchases of US soybeans.
The conversation between Trump and Xi comes at a time of rising geopolitical tensions. Over the weekend, G20 leaders met in South Africa at a summit boycotted by the United States, where they warned of the fragmentation of the world order.
French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Saturday that"the G20 may be reaching the end of a cycle," noting the difficulties in finding a common stance on conflicts around the world.
The Trump administration snubbed the G20 event, arguing that South Africa's priorities—including cooperation on trade and climate—were at odds with its policies.
