Trump plans to speak with Xi by week’s end

New Delhi, May 12: Donald Trump declared that his administration had achieved a “total reset with China” following an agreement reached after weeks of escalating tariffs and retaliatory measures. Trump said he expects to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping “maybe at the end of the week,” hinting at further discussions as both nations navigate the terms of the agreement. He described the current US-China relationship as “very good”, despite months of acrimony over trade practices, intellectual property, and fentanyl trafficking. “We’re not looking to hurt China,” Trump said. “They were being hurt very badly.

They were closing up factories. They were having a lot of unrest, and they were very happy to be able to do something with us.”

“The best part of the deal,” he said, “is that China agreed to open itself up to American business.” By contrast, he criticised past arrangements for being lopsided. “We opened our country to Chinese imports, but they didn’t open their country to us. It never made sense to me. It’s not fair.” The agreement, Trump noted, includes a commitment by China to “suspend and remove all of its non-monetary [trade] barriers,” though he acknowledged that the deal “still needs to be signed.”

He added that the trade agreement was originally “a much bigger deal,” but that China had walked away “right on the last day.” Despite this, Trump emphasised the breakthrough as a “great trade deal” that rebalances economic ties and asserts American trade interests.