Under The Threshold, Over the Telephone
Xi-Trump phone call and China’s readout
Authors
After a meeting in Busan, South Korea in October, on November 24, 2025, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed their truce and other issues of mutual concern over a telephonic conversation. While Washington is yet to release a press note, Xinhua has already presented Beijing’s version of the conversation, while Trump has posted his remarks on the call on Truth Social. There are three main takeaways in China’s perpective on the call:
Firstly, China characterises the Busan summit and the latest phone call as inflection points that helped to “calibrate the course” and inject new momentum into a more stable, cooperative China-US relationship. Xi reiterated that the principle of “cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both” is proven reality, reflecting Beijing’s desire to consolidate recent positive trends and avoid a return to heightened rivalry. Beijing clearly seeks to maintain this momentum, emphasising an agenda of extending cooperation, reducing tensions, and reaping mutual benefit.
The articulation classically represents the tactical breathing room both sides agreed was achieved in the aftermath of the Busan meeting, albeit with recognition that underlying competition persists.
Secondly, Xi used the call to forcefully reiterate that Taiwan’s “return to China is an important component of the post-war international order,” tying it not just to Chinese sovereignty but to the legacy of Allied victory in WWII. This framing links Taiwan to grand international principles and signals to the US that support for the “One China Principle” remains non-negotiable for Beijing.
The timing follows recent US arms sales to Taiwan and statements from Japan’s Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, implying military support for Taiwan in case of a conflict, both condemned by Beijing as violations of the post-War order and the One-China Principle.
Thirdly, Xi stressed China’s support for “all efforts conducive to peace” in Ukraine and expressed hope for a “fair, lasting, and binding peace at the root.” Despite the friendly ties with Russia, such an articulation fits with China’s standing diplomatic message that it seeks negotiated settlements and opposes protracted confrontation. It seeks an active voice in new global security arrangements.
With Washington intensifying efforts for a Ukraine peace initiative by Thanksgiving, and China maintaining robust ties with Moscow, Beijing is carefully signalling willingness to align with US diplomatic efforts while not alienating Russia.
While an official White House press release is awaited, is interesting to note that Trump’s main takeaway from the meeting is his interpretation that China has conceded to the bidding of the US’s “Great Farmers.” Other linguistic and material differences in the two sides’ articulations are important to note: Trump calls his relations with China “extremely strong;” Xinhua comments that Trump called Xi a “great leader.” Further, Trump’s post mentions Ukraine, but makes no mention of a discussion on Taiwan. At the same time, Xinhua’s release makes no mention of fentanyl or soybeans, while those turn out to be the main issue areas from Trump’s perspective. Finally, Trump discusses leaders of the two sides visiting each others’ countries in 2026, but the Xinhua release says nothing on that front.
The signalling on either side is firm, and pertains only to self-interest. Even as a temporary truce between the two countries is underway, structural faultlines continue to persist, and neither side seems to even illusorily agree to concessions.