Trump speaks to China’s Xi amid ongoing dispute over trade truce

Washington — President Trump spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday amid an ongoing dispute over a temporary deal to ease the escalation of tariffs between the U.S. and China.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington said the two leaders spoke Thursday morning at Mr. Trump’s request. The White House did not immediately confirm the conversation.

Under a May 12 truce between the two superpowers, the U.S. reduced tariffs on Chinese goods to around 30% from 145%, while China reduced its levies on American imports to 10%. The 90-day deal was meant to give both sides breathing room to strike a broader agreement, but talks soon stalled.

Last week, Mr. Trump accused China of violating the May 12 deal. U.S. officials have said China is withholding some products, including rare earth minerals, that it agreed to resume exporting under the agreement. Earlier this week, China said the U.S. is undermining the deal by imposing new export control guidelines on AI chips and planning to revoke Chinese student visas.

On “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he was expecting the two leaders to resolve their issues when they spoke.

“I am confident that when President Trump and party Chairman Xi have a call, that this will be ironed out,” Bessent said.

In an early morning post on Truth Social on Wednesday, the president wrote that “I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!”

Aimee Picchi

contributed to this report.