President Xi Jinping on Monday told his US counterpart Donald Trump in a phone conversation that China and the United States should keep up the momentum in ties, and keep moving forward in the right direction on the basis of equality, respect and mutual benefit.

A Xinhua News Agency report cited Xi as saying that he and Trump had a successful meeting in Busan last month, and reached many important common understandings, which recalibrated the course of the giant ship of China-US relations and provided more momentum for it to sail forward steadily, sending a positive message to the world, he said.

Since then, the China-US relationship has generally maintained a steady and positive trajectory, and this is welcomed by the two countries and the broader international community, Xi said.

Xi added that the vision of China and the United States helping each other succeed and prosper together is a tangible prospect within reach.

The president said the two sides should lengthen the list of cooperation and shorten the list of problems so as to make more positive progress, create new space for China-US cooperation and bring more benefits to the people of both countries and the world.

Xi outlined China's principled position on the Taiwan question, underscoring that Taiwan's return to China is an integral part of the post-war international order.

Noting that China and the United States fought shoulder to shoulder against fascism and militarism, Xi said that given what is going on, it is even more important for the two sides to jointly safeguard the victory of World War II.

Xinhua reported that for his part, Trump noted that President Xi is a great leader, adding that he very much enjoyed his meeting with Xi in Busan, and fully shares Xi's comments about the two countries' relationship. Both sides, he added, are implementing all elements of what the two leaders agreed to in Busan.

Xinhua also quoted Trump as saying that China was a big part of the victory of WWII, while stressing that the United States understands how important the Taiwan question is to China.

The two leaders also discussed the war in Ukraine.

Xi emphasised China's support for all efforts that are conducive to peace, and expressed the hope that the various sides would narrow their differences, reach a fair, lasting and binding peace agreement at an early date, and resolve the crisis at its root.

Trump praised "extremely strong" US-China relations in a social media post after the call, and confirmed that he will visit China in April and that Xi will come to Washington later in 2026.

"This call was a follow up to our highly successful meeting in South Korea, three weeks ago. Since then, there has been significant progress on both sides in keeping our agreements current and accurate. Now we can set our sights on the big picture," he said. (Xinhua/AFP)
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Last updated: 2025-11-25 HKT 06:14