Xi urges lifting trade barriers, mentions US support in WWII

After the phone call between US President Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, a Chinese readout of the call struck a measured tone, with Xi urging Trump to avoid restrictive trade measures and to not undermine progress made in earlier talks aimed at easing tensions between their economies.

On TikTok, the readout said only that Xi told Trump that his govt respects the wishes of businesses on TikTok and would like to see those companies find a resolution to the issue, according to the note from Beijing's foreign ministry.

The Chinese side characterised the talks as positive and pragmatic, with Xi expressing confidence that Washington and Beijing could handle issues that arose between their countries. But it added that Xi also suggested that the US offer a fair environment for Chinese companies to do business, signalling discord over export curbs and trade barriers.

Xi told Trump that the Chinese people would not forget US support during World War II in the fight against Japan, according to Chinese readout.

Trump and Xi's in-person sitdown is likely to yield a broader agenda including an expected Chinese order for Boeing planes and discussion of geopolitical issues including Russia's war in Ukraine, China's aspirations toward Taiwan and efforts to curb trafficking of fentanyl.