ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump on Monday described his phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping as “very good,” adding that he accepted an invitation to visit Beijing in April.

In a statement posted via his social media company Truth Social, Trump said the two leaders discussed “many topics including Ukraine/Russia, Fentanyl, Soybeans and other Farm Products,” and added that the two sides “have done a good, and very important, deal for our Great Farmers — and it will only get better.”

Trump said the call followed their “highly successful meeting in South Korea” last month, noting that “there has been significant progress on both sides in keeping ... agreements current and accurate.”

“To that end, President Xi invited me to visit Beijing in April, which I accepted, and I reciprocated where he will be my guest for a State Visit in the U.S. later in the year,” Trump said.

“Our relationship with China is extremely strong!” he said, adding that both sides agreed on the need for frequent communication.

According to Chinese state media, President Xi Jinping told Trump that the return of Taiwan to China was an important part of the post-war international order.

Xi told his US counterpart in the call that Beijing and Washington should jointly safeguard the victorious outcomes of World War II, Xi said, Xinhua reported.

Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told lawmakers on Nov. 7 that any Chinese attack on Taiwan could legally amount to a “survival-threatening situation,” potentially allowing Japan to “exercise the right of collective self-defense.”

Her remarks triggered massive backlash from Beijing, with China advising against travel to Japan, re-imposing a ban on imports of seafood, among other restrictive measures.

Taiwan remains a central flashpoint in US-China relations. Beijing views Taiwan as a breakaway province, while Taipei has insisted on independence since 1949.

The US supports Taiwan's defense under the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances governing policy toward the island.

Japan is a key military ally of the US in the region, with more than 50,000 American soldiers deployed on the archipelago nation under a mutual defense treaty.

During the phone call, Xi and Trump also discussed the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

Xi emphasized China's support for all efforts toward peace. He expressed hope that all parties will continue to reduce their disagreements and reach a peace agreement as soon as possible.

The call came weeks after Xi and Trump held a summit on Oct. 30 in Busan, South Korea, where the two sides agreed to a one-year trade and tariff agreement.

After their meeting in Busan, Trump said Taiwan did not come up for discussions.

Busan meeting ‘successful,’ says Xi

During the phone call on Monday, Xi described the meeting in Busan as “successful,” with both sides reaching many “important common understandings,” that helped to recalibrate “the course of the giant ship of China-US relations.”

The China-US relations have since then maintained a steady and positive trajectory, which is welcomed by the two countries and the broader international community, Xi said.

The Chinese president urged the two sides to expand the list of cooperation and shorten the list of problems, create new space for China-US cooperation, and bring more benefits to the people of both countries and the world.

While Chinese state media remained silent on who sought the call, according to the US-based The Wall Street Journal, it was Xi who initiated the phone call, describing it as a move "transforming the high-level communication into a strategic, and rare, diplomatic overture" from the Chinese side.

Xi’s decision to "initiate the call is an uncommon show of proactive outreach from Beijing, signaling the high strategic value it places on stabilizing the US relationship—and, specifically, ensuring Washington’s commitment to its One China position on Taiwan," it added.