World.Alpha-News.org ➤ The news of the world is here

WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. President described his recent conversation with the Chinese President as friendly and expressed optimism about the potential for reaching a trade agreement with China.

During their phone call, the leaders of the world's two largest economies discussed various matters, such as trade, among others.

After assuming office, Trump considered imposing a 10% punitive tariff on Chinese imports due to concerns over fentanyl trafficking. Although he had pledged tariffs during his election campaign, he did not implement them immediately. Trump has imposed tariffs on the European Union, Mexico, and Canada.

In an interview with Fox News broadcasted on Thursday evening, Trump characterized his discussion with Xi as positive by stating, "It went fine. It was a good, friendly conversation."

When asked about the possibility of reaching a trade deal with China based on fair practices, Trump responded confidently, saying, "I can do that."

Regarding the use of tariffs in negotiations with China, Trump expressed a preference for avoiding them but recognized their effectiveness, referring to tariffs as a "tremendous power."

Trump emphasized, "But we have one very big power over China, and that's tariffs, and they don't want them. I'd rather not have to use it, but it's a tremendous power over China."

The U.S. and China are currently engaged in various diplomatic and economic disputes, including technological and military competition, trade tensions, and U.S. apprehensions regarding the Chinese-owned popular social media platform TikTok, owned by ByteDance.