Trump Phone Call to Xi Secures China-U.S. Summit at G20

June 18, 2019 (EIRNS)—President Donald Trump confirmed today that he will have an “extended meeting” with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the June 28-29 Group of 20 meeting, tweeting: “Had a very good telephone conversation with President Xi of China. We will be having an extended meeting next week at the G20 in Japan. Our respective teams will begin talks prior to our meeting.”

China’s Xinhua news service reported that the two Presidents spoke at the request of President Trump, who told Xi that he “looks forward to meeting Xi again ... and conducting in-depth discussions on bilateral ties and issues of common concern” during the G20. Trump told Xi that the U.S. “values its economic and trade cooperation with China, and hopes that the teams on both sides can conduct communication, and find a way to resolve the current dispute as soon as possible,” Xinhua reported.

Xi, for his part, said that the recent “difficulties” in their relations are not in the interest of either side. “Both countries gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation”; both “should ... push forward the China-U.S. relationship ... on the basis of mutual respect and mutual benefit,” he specified.

Our two nations, as the world’s two biggest economies, “should jointly play a leading role in pushing for positive outcomes at the G20 Osaka summit,” for the sake of the global economy, he further stated.

Xi is ready to meet “to exchange views on fundamental issues concerning the development of China-U.S. relations ... through dialogue on an equal footing, with the key being to accommodate each other’s legitimate concerns.” The U.S. effort to shut down Huawei’s international operations must have been discussed, as Xinhua reports that Xi told President Trump “that China hopes the U.S. side can treat Chinese firms in a fair manner.”