President Donald Trump said Monday that China called to say it wants to go back to the bargaining table and restart trade talks with the United States.
Trump says Chinese officials called Washington to urge a return to negotiations after an impasse provoked stock market chaos last week, USA Today reported Monday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump attend a welcoming ceremony Nov. 9, 2017 in Beijing, China. Trump is on a 10-day trip to Asia. (Photo by Thomas Peter-Pool/Getty Images)
The president was briefing reporters at the G-7 summit that is being hosted by France. He said China called twice to talk about renewed trade talks. Trump did not say whether he had personally had a conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping. (RELATED: 32 Times The Press Said A Trade War With China Would Torpedo The US Economy)
“We’ve got two calls, very very good calls, very productive calls,” Trump told reporters. “They mean business.”
U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron attend a work session during the G7 summit in Biarritz, France, Aug. 26, 2019. Ian Langsdon/Pool via REUTERS
Trump tweeted a conciliatory message on Monday morning, proclaiming, “Great respect for the fact that President Xi & His Representatives want ‘calm resolution.’ So impressed that they are willing to come out & state the facts so accurately. This is why he is a great leader & representing a great country. Talks are continuing!”
Great respect for the fact that President Xi & his Representatives want “calm resolution.” So impressed that they are willing to come out & state the facts so accurately. This is why he is a great leader & representing a great country. Talks are continuing!https://t.co/0sotrd1Mzh
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2019
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He reiterated his country’s apparent desire to negotiate in a statement Monday that urged “calm” negotiations that would avoid any further escalation of the trade crisis, according to Reuters.
Liu, who is responsible for the trade talks, made the remarks while addressing a tech conference in Chongqing, the Chongqing Morning Post reported. (RELATED: China Is Picking Up The Tab For Trump’s Trade War: Report)
The diplomatic breakthrough comes after Trump had promised to put another 5% tariff on $550 billion in Chinese products. That was a response to China’s plan to put tariffs on $75 billion of U.S. goods, Reuters noted.
The Dow Jones Industrial Index rose by over 200 points after markets opened Monday as a result of the news, CNBC reported.