Washington/Beijing – U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to hold a phone conversation later this week, amid growing trade tensions between the two global powers, Rks News reports.
A White House official, speaking anonymously to CNBC, confirmed that although the call is not scheduled for today, it could happen “very soon.”
The anticipated call comes at a critical moment in U.S.-China relations, strained further after the Trump administration imposed new tariffs in April reaching up to 145% on certain Chinese goods. In response, China retaliated with its own strong countermeasures.
Although both sides agreed in May to a 90-day pause in the escalation of tariffs, that agreement now appears to be at risk. Washington has accused Beijing of deliberately delaying exports of critical raw materials, while China has labeled the U.S. stance a “unilateral provocation” and warned of growing instability in bilateral ties.
The possible phone conversation is seen as a last-ditch attempt to prevent a deeper escalation of the trade conflict between the world’s two largest economies.
