President talks with Trump, calls for wider cooperation

President Xi Jinping talked with United States President Donald Trump by phone on Wednesday, saying that he stands ready to continue working with his US counterpart to guide the giant ship of China-US ties through wind and waves for a steady voyage in the new year, and do more big, good things together.

While the US side has its concerns, and the Chinese side has its own concerns as well, solutions can be found to address each other's concerns as long as both sides move toward each other in the spirit of equality, respect and mutual benefit, Xi said.

The phone conversation was the first interaction between the two leaders in 2026. In the past year, Xi and Trump held four phone calls and exchanged multiple messages, and the two leaders also met successfully in Busan, South Korea, in October.

Xi said that this year, both China and the US have a number of important agendas.

While China is entering the first year of its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, the US will mark the 250th anniversary of its founding, he noted, adding that the two countries will also respectively host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting and the Group of 20 Summit.

Xi said that the two sides should act on the common understandings they have reached, strengthen dialogue and communication, properly manage differences and expand practical cooperation.

Citing an ancient Chinese adage that "an act of kindness, no matter how trivial, is worth performing, while an act of evil, no matter how small, must be shunned", Xi called on China and the US to work through things step by step and constantly build mutual trust to forge the right way of getting along with each other.

The two countries can make 2026 a year in which China and the US, as two major countries, move toward mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, Xi said.

Regarding the Taiwan question, Xi told Trump that it is the most important issue in China-US relations.

The Taiwan region is part of China's territory, and China must safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will never allow Taiwan to be separated from the country, Xi said, urging the US to handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with utmost prudence.

After the phone call, Trump wrote in a social media posting that he had "just completed an excellent telephone conversation with President Xi of China. It was a long and thorough call", and many important subjects were discussed.

Trump said in the phone call that the US and China are both great countries, and the US-China relationship is by far the most important in the world.

He noted that he has a great relationship with President Xi and that he has a lot of respect for him. Under the guidance of the two leaders, the US and China are doing well in the areas of economy and trade, Trump said.

Trump said he wants to see China succeed, and the US would like to work with China to make more progress in bilateral ties.

The US president said he understands how China feels about the Taiwan question, adding that he would like the two sides to continue talking with each other and keep the relationship in good shape during his presidency.

mojingxi@chinadaily.com.cn