US President Trump's phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, five months apart, has become a hot topic internationally. Trump stated after the call that the issue involving rare earths is no longer a problem, but the Chinese version of the call, released by CCTV, focused on Xi Jinping's demands that the US rescind negative measures against China. The impact of this call on the future development of US-China relations is attracting considerable attention.
U.S. President Trump held a 90-minute phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday morning (June 5th, U.S. time). This was Trump's first call since returning to the White House and the first call since the United States announced the imposition of global tariffs.
Trump later confirmed to the media that he had good communication with Xi Jinping, adding that the trade deal with China is currently in very good shape. The two sides already agreed that the trade tariff reductions remain in effect, with details primarily being worked out regarding rare earths, magnets, and other issues. He also revealed that Treasury Secretary Bensant and Commerce Secretary Lutnick would meet again with senior Chinese officials. Trump, in a social media post, stated that the call had yielded very positive results and that the issue of rare earth products was no longer an issue. He also stated that the call focused on trade and did not touch on topics such as Russia, Ukraine, and Iran. He also acknowledged Xi Jinping's invitation to visit China again.
This differs from what China announced. According to CCTV, Xi Jinping stated that China is seriously implementing the agreements reached at the Geneva talks. He also stated that correcting the course of Sino-US relations requires both sides to steer the ship properly and set the right direction. It is particularly important to eliminate all interference and sabotage, and that dialogue and cooperation are the only correct options. Xi Jinping was also quoted as emphasizing to the US that the Taiwan issue should be handled with caution to prevent a small number of pro-independence separatists from dragging China and the US into a dangerous conflict or confrontation.
Analysis: China cannot afford the consequences of re-imposing tariffs and needs to talk to its counterparts to resolve the issue
Song Guocheng, a researcher at the Center for International Relations at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, said that the content of the call released by the United States and China did not mention the cancellation of tariffs, indicating that the leaders' call did not ease the tensions between the two sides. He also said that Xi Jinping's call with Trump at this time was related to the upcoming 90-day deadline for suspending tariffs.
Song Guocheng said, "The CCP only negotiates when it's at a disadvantage and weak. There have been times in the past when he (Xi Jinping) didn't answer the phone, but this time he was willing to answer for two reasons. The first is that if China no longer signals its willingness to cooperate and reverts to its previous high tariffs at the end of the 90 days, even the world's factory will collapse without a market economy. Can China withstand that? Secondly, if the CCP is that tough, Trump might ally with other allies to impose high tariffs on you, forming a customs alliance, something the CCP absolutely can't tolerate. The US should be careful; the CCP won't refuse to negotiate until the situation reverses."
Song Guocheng said that the version released by China deliberately created the impression that Trump was showing weakness to Xi Jinping. It was a deceptive strategy to expand foreign propaganda, create the illusion of China's victory, and cover up China's actual attitude of seeking peace with the United States. He believed that the United States would not use Taiwan to make a deal with China. This call had no practical results except confirming the continuation of negotiations.
Analysis: China's strategy of using rare earths to undercut US prices may backfire
Chen Daoyin, an independent Chinese political scholar, said that Xi Jinping clearly bargained for a high price to Trump during this call, reflecting that China's strategy of using rare earth controls to gain the initiative is effective, but Trump's attitude has shown that the US has no intention of giving in to China.
Chen Daoyin said, "Rare earths have truly become a key trump card. During the call between the two presidents, China was arguably demanding exorbitant prices, tying all concerns to trade. To deflect attention from this, Trump emphasized after the call that he was only discussing a trade agreement with China, not other issues. The call had nothing to do with the Russo-Ukrainian war or Iran, and the US side focused solely on the trade agreement. This demonstrates the disparity in US and Chinese positions. I believe China's exorbitant demands may backfire. Countries around the world have seen that dependence on China can be choked and cut off at will, as we saw during the pandemic. This should heighten the awareness of other countries about over-reliance on China for key technologies."
Analysis: US-China summit talks more symbolic than practical
Associate Professor Zhuang Jiaying of the Department of Political Science at the National University of Singapore stated that international relations are not a round-by-round game, making it difficult to predict who is winning or losing at this stage. For now, the two sides have only maintained working-level dialogue, and the leaders' call did not bring about any new changes or breakthroughs. She believes the call between the two heads of state is more symbolic than practical.
Zhuang Jiaying said, "This call symbolizes the willingness of the top leaders of both sides to communicate, and the negotiation environment may have improved. However, how this will be implemented and transformed into a clear understanding or agreement is something we don't yet know. International relations are a constant game of negotiation, with both advances and concessions. The situation will only become clearer once we see a breakthrough in a concrete agreement."
Zhuang Jiaying expressed his belief that the tense situation in U.S.-China relations will not see any substantial changes for the time being, and the current geopolitical environment between the two countries will not improve for the time being.
