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Positive outlook aside, Xi-Trump call points to Taiwan, critical minerals as thorny issues
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US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet in China in April.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BEIJING/CHONGQING – The phone call between President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump on Feb 4 has set a positive tone for Sino-US ties ahead of the leaders’ summit in April, but thorny issues regarding Taiwan and rare earths remain.
While Mr Xi spoke of advancing towards “win-win cooperation” and Mr Trump described the conversation as “all very positive”, the Chinese President also emphasised that Taiwan is the most important issue in China-US relations and China “will never allow Taiwan to be separated”, reiterating its stance on Taiwan being part of its territory.
