Xi, Trump call sets positive tone for talks

They express hope for stable progress, agreements that benefit both countries

The weekend telephone conversation between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump ahead of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the US on New Year's Day "sets a positive tone" for the coming year's bilateral relationship, experts said.

The leaders' talk sends an important message, coming as it does after the two countries' working in recent months to solve their trade disputes and pushing forward a coordinated, cooperative and stable China-US relationship amid uncertainties, they added.

Xi and Trump both said in their phone conversation on Saturday that they hoped an agreement beneficial to both countries and the world could be reached.

When the two leaders met on Dec 1 on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, they agreed to continue bilateral trade negotiations, refrain from imposing new tariffs and exchange visits at an appropriate time.

In the phone call, Xi extended his best wishes to Trump and the people of the United States for the new year, and expressed the wish that both he and Trump hope to push for stable progress in the China-US relationship, which is now in a critical stage.

Both governments' teams are actively working to implement the consensus, Xi said, adding that he hopes they can meet each other halfway and reach an agreement that benefits both sides and the world as soon as possible.

Several rounds of telephone talks between the two governments' teams have been held since the leaders met in Argentina. Plans have been made for face-to-face consultations over trade in January, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Trump wished Xi and the Chinese people a happy new year and said that China-US relations are very important and closely followed by the world.

Trump said he values his great relationship with Xi and that he is pleased to see both countries' teams working hard to implement the important consensus he and Xi reached in Argentina.

The talks and coordination are making positive progress, Trump said, and he hopes results will be reached that benefit the people of both the US and China, as well as people in all countries.

Noting that Tuesday will be the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the US, Xi told Trump that China is willing to work with the US to review and learn from the experience of the development of their relations over the decades, and to strengthen exchanges and cooperation in areas including the economy, trade, the military, law enforcement, anti-drug operations, local issues and culture.

Bilateral trade between the two countries has grown from less than $2.5 billion in 1979 to more than $580 billion in 2017, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The accumulated value of all kinds of two-way investment exceeded $230 billion in 2017, compared with almost zero in 1979.

In remarks over the upcoming anniversary of China-US ties, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Sunday that over the past years China and the US have cooperated extensively at bilateral, regional and global levels, including fighting international terrorism and tackling the global financial crisis.

"The facts have fully shown that the development of China-US ties not only has delivered huge benefits to the two peoples but also contributed to peace, stability and prosperity of the Asia-Pacific region and the world," Lu said.

Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of and a senior fellow at the China Institute of International Studies, said that "Xi and Trump reaffirmed the significance of China-US relations and expressed satisfaction with the work of both teams during their phone conversation".

"This is important, because the teams are going to meet very soon," he said.

Li Haidong, a professor of US studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said the leaders' phone conversation set a positive tone for next year's China-US ties from the perspective of the heads of state though uncertainties will still remain.

"China should manage and control disputes to the greatest possible degree in order to push for the establishment of a constructive China-US relationship," he said.

According to Ruan, the phone conversation shows the importance both sides attach to their relationship.

"We should have confidence in the future development of bilateral ties. Difficulties or challenges, no matter how hard, will be controlled and managed as long as the two sides remain in contact and consultation," he said.