U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke by phone this week for the first time since their October summit in South Korea, in a call that mixed trade diplomacy with rising geopolitical tension over Taiwan and Japan.

The hour-long conversation, initiated by Xi, came as Washington advances a proposed peace framework for the Russia-Ukraine war and seeks to gauge Beijing’s willingness to help cool the conflict.

Trump described the call as “very good,” saying the leaders discussed Ukraine, fentanyl trafficking, and agricultural trade, including soybeans. He confirmed he will visit Beijing in April and has invited Xi to make a state visit to the United States later in 2026.

Although Trump made no public mention of Taiwan, Chinese state media said Xi used the call to restate Beijing’s position. Xi told Trump that Taiwan’s “return to China” is a core element of the post-WWII world order and tied Beijing’s claim to the wartime cooperation between the two countries against fascism and militarism.

Richard Bush, former chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan, said Beijing’s effort to frame Taiwan through WWII history overlooks that the island was placed under the Republic of China’s authority in 1945, not the People’s Republic. He said Beijing’s narrative underscores a long-running political goal rather than historical fact.

The call unfolded as China and Japan remain locked in a sharp dispute after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Japan’s military could intervene in a Taiwan crisis — remarks that triggered Chinese economic and diplomatic reprisals. 

With Trump preparing for an April visit to Beijing and both sides working to stabilize a fragile trade truce, how Washington and Beijing calibrate their positions in the coming months will shape the trajectory of cross-strait stability and broader regional order.