JAKARTA – United States President Donald Trump has finally attempted to break the deadlock in the tariff war negotiations by taking the initiative to call Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Chinese media outlet, China Xinhua News, stated this on its Facebook account in a single brief sentence: “Chinese President Xi Jinping held a telephone conversation with President Trump on Thursday, at Trump’s request.”

According to the Chinese media report, as quoted by YahooFinance on Thursday (5/6), there has been no immediate confirmation from Trump or his team.

The Chinese side also did not provide any direct details about the content of the discussion.

Separately, on the same day, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Li Jian stated on the China MFA Spokesperson Facebook account that China is urging the United States to uphold market principles based on fair competition, to stop politicising trade issues, and to provide a fair, equal, and
“non-discriminatory environment for Chinese companies as well as other foreign firms.”

China, Li Jian added, will take the necessary steps to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.

The phone call between the two leaders of these global powers marks a significant breakthrough in the stalled trade negotiations between the US and China. This was the first time Trump and Xi have spoken since Trump’s inauguration as president.

The communication took place as negotiations between the two countries, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, had reached a standstill.

The path toward a trade deal with China—after the truce agreed in May in Geneva, when the US lowered tariffs to 50 percent for 90 days—is becoming increasingly uncertain.

Doubts have grown particularly since Trump personally targeted Xi Jinping, stating that dealing with the Chinese leader is extremely difficult.

Running out of time?

Wednesday (4/6), as quoted by Investopedia on Thursday (5/6), marked a critical deadline in Trump’s negotiations with America’s trading partners.

The White House sent letters earlier this week to dozens of countries, requesting that they submit their best offers for tariff agreements by no later than Tuesday, 4 June.

Many countries have been negotiating with the US to avoid reciprocal tariffs.

If no agreements are reached, the US will begin imposing tariffs on 9 July at 12:00 AM Eastern Time.

“This letter simply serves to remind those countries that the deadline is approaching and that the President expects strong deals,” said White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt at a press conference on Tuesday.

And this is not the only tariff deadline looming.

  • On 9 July, a 50% tariff will be imposed on the European Union.
  • On 12 August, the 90-day suspension of a 145% tariff on China will expire.

Several trade experts have cast doubt on Trump and his team’s ability to negotiate such a large number of trade agreements in such a short period.

Historically, trade negotiations are slow and complex processes, typically taking over a year to reach a final agreement. (DK/MT)