Trump says Chinese President Xi will visit the United States by the end of the year

(Patria) - US President Donald Trump stated that he will host Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the White House by the end of this year, AFP reported.

Trump made this comment in an interview with NBC News recorded on Wednesday – the same day he and Xi had an extensive conversation about trade, Taiwan, Russia's war in Ukraine, and the situation in Iran.

Trump is expected to visit China in April, before Xi visits the United States.

"He is coming to the White House, yes – by the end of the year," Trump said in the interview, parts of which were broadcast on Sunday.

"These are the two most powerful countries in the world, and we have a very good relationship."

Since Trump returned to the White House a year ago, he has been a persistent advocate of tariffs, introducing sectoral duties on steel, automobiles, and other items, as well as broader measures to achieve various political goals.

The White House has been in a trade dispute with Beijing, but achieved a broad truce with China after a major escalation last spring.

Despite US moves aimed at reducing dependence on Chinese manufacturing, the two countries remain deeply economically intertwined.

Xi, who last visited the United States in 2023, warned Trump on Wednesday to be "cautious" about selling weapons to self-governing Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory.

The Chinese leader also expressed hope that bilateral issues, including trade, could be resolved amicably between Beijing and Washington.

"By resolving problems one by one and continuously building mutual trust, we can find the right way for the two countries to get along," Xi said, according to state television CCTV.

Trump, meanwhile, said the conversation with Xi was "great" and that "both of us understand how important it is for it to remain that way."

On Friday, the United States called for trilateral talks with Russia and China to set new nuclear weapons limits, but Beijing has so far refused to join disarmament negotiations "at this stage."