Xi tells Trump they need to ‘correct course’ of US-China ties: state media

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping told his US counterpart Donald Trump that the two should “correct the course” of bilateral relations, in a Thursday phone call reported by state media.

The talks took place at Trump´s request, the Xinhua news agency said without elaborating, and come as Washington and Beijing clash over areas such as trade and student visas.

Xi told Trump that “to correct the course of the big ship of China-US ties, it is necessary for both sides to set the right direction, and eliminate all kinds of disruptions, even sabotage, which is especially important”, according to Xinhua.

The call follows officials from the world’s two biggest economies accusing each other of jeopardising a trade war truce agreed last month in Geneva.

“The US side should take a realistic view of the progress made and withdraw its negative initiatives against China,” Xi told Trump according to a readout from state broadcaster CCTV. He said the Geneva talks showed that “dialogue and cooperation are the only right choice”, and insisted China had abided by the agreements made in Switzerland. But the Chinese president warned Trump that Washington should tread carefully over the issue of self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.

“Xi emphasised that the United States should handle the Taiwan issue carefully to avoid a small number of ´Taiwan independence´ separatists dragging China and the United States into a dangerous situation of conflict and confrontation,” CCTV said.