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Trump talks trade, TikTok and fentanyl in ‘good’ phone call with China’s Xi days before inauguration

President-elect Donald Trump revealed he had a “good” phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. REUTERS

President-elect Donald Trump revealed he had a “good” phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. REUTERS

President-elect Donald Trump revealed Friday he had a “good” phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, discussing ways in which their nations could cooperate on “Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok” and other issues.

“I just spoke to Chairman Xi Jinping of China,” Trump posted bright and early on Truth Social. “The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately.”

“We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects,” the incoming commander in chief said. “President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!”

During his 2024 campaign, the once and future president floated baseline tariffs of between 10% and 20% on imports — but threatened an import levy as high as 100% on BRICS alliance countries like Russia and China if they go away from the dollar.

 

Trump Xi
President-elect Donald Trump revealed he had a “good” phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping. REUTERS

He also threatened 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico if they don’t cooperate with his administration on combating drug trafficking, including the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, which is concocted by cartels using precursor chemicals from China.

Trump added in another Truth Social post on Friday that he would be making a “decision on TikTok … in the not too distant future” after the Supreme Court ruled the US company must divest from its Chinese state-owned parent firm ByteDance.

President Biden has deferred execution of the law forcing TikTok’s sale to the incoming Trump team.

 

A person live streams to their TikTok followers as the high justices rule to uphold a ban on the video-sharing app TikTok.
A person live streams to their TikTok followers as the high justices rule to uphold a ban on the video-sharing app TikTok. ALLISON DINNER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

“Given the sheer fact of timing, this Administration recognizes that actions to implement the law simply must fall to the next Administration, which takes office on Monday,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

The law is set to go into effect on Jan. 19, the day before Trump’s inauguration.

Though Trump extended an olive branch to his Chinese counterpart, the president-elect has also made aggressive diplomatic moves against Beijing in recent weeks.

Earlier this month, he suggested the US should annex Greenland and the Panama Canal Zone, safeguarding key shipping lanes and allowing for a stronger military presence in the Western hemisphere.

In December, the soon-to-be 47th president also claimed he would remind Xi in their first phone call together of the deal their two nations struck during his first term, the terms of which required China to “buy $50 billion worth of American farm product.”

“I guarantee you he will buy it,” the president-elect vowed on Truth Social.

Trump invited the Chinese leader to his inauguration ceremony on Jan. 20, but Xi won’t attend, a source familiar with the matter previously told The Post.

China’s ambassador to the US and his wife are planning to show up, as is traditional, alongside diplomatic delegations from many nations.

Instead, Beijing’s ambassador to Washington, Xie Feng, and his wife will be present, along with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng.

No world leader has ever attended a US president’s inauguration, according to the State Department, with many preferring to send their nation’s envoys as representatives.

Author: Josh Christenson

Source: NY Post

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