Donald Trump says his connection with Xi Jinping should be enough to solve the US-China trade mess. But Xi hasn’t been taking his calls. For weeks, Trump tried reaching him and got nothing back.
Now, officials inside the White House say a phone call could happen any day — maybe even Thursday — but Beijing still hasn’t confirmed anything.
“I am afraid we don’t have comments for you right now,” the Chinese embassy in Washington said, keeping their side of the line completely quiet.
This split in communication shows how far apart the two governments are. Nobody trusts the call will actually happen. The silence comes while tensions between the world’s two biggest economies keep growing — not just over tariffs, rare minerals, or tech parts, but over how Trump and Xi work. Trump likes to deal directly. Xi does not. That difference is becoming a problem neither of them is fixing.
China delays the call over trust issues with Trump
According to CNN, Trump wants to talk directly to Xi, but Chinese officials are avoiding that for now. The reason? They don’t trust him. They’ve seen what he’s done in other situations — like the surprise pressure he put on Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky and South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa during talks.
Even though those talks were supposed to be private, Trump turned them into awkward moments. Chinese officials don’t want to risk that happening with Xi, not even on a secure phone call.
Meanwhile, Trump has been telling people for months that he expects to speak with Xi “soon.” He said it in spring. He said it last week. But nothing happened. That’s because the Chinese side doesn’t work like his team does.
When Joe Biden met Xi in San Francisco two years ago, every tiny detail — from the timing to the translation to the flower arrangement — had to be agreed in advance. That’s normal for Xi, whose meetings are always scripted.
People who’ve dealt with him say he sticks to the talking points and doesn’t go off-script unless it’s to make a rare personal comment.
Last year, when Xi met Biden and spoke off the cuff, that was seen by US officials as a sign of deep respect. That’s not something Xi does for everyone. Most of the time, his phone calls are completely rehearsed, and actual decisions are made by his team weeks earlier. So while Trump pushes to negotiate live, Xi prefers everything locked in ahead of time — which kills Trump’s “top-down” style of dealmaking.
Trade fight grows while leaders stay silent
Inside the White House, Trump’s press secretary Karoline Leavitt said this week that “he’s very much involved in literally every policy discussion and decision,” especially on China. That includes the trade war, which got worse since Trump returned to office.
He increased tariffs up to 145%, and Beijing struck back, expanding the fight beyond goods into the supply chain itself. The US now claims China is slowing down its exports of certain critical minerals — especially ones needed for magnet production — and that it’s violating agreements made during recent talks in Geneva.
In those Geneva meetings, the two sides agreed to reduce some tariffs. That didn’t last. The US later said China had gone back on its word and blocked key minerals. Instead of improving, the relationship got even worse.
Now it includes new measures, like Trump canceling student visas for Chinese nationals studying in the US and banning software exports that help design advanced chips. All of this was meant to pressure Xi, but it hasn’t led to a breakthrough.
A senior White House official said this week, “The trade teams on both sides have determined that this needed to be elevated to the top.” Another official said Trump wants to press Xi about why China is dragging its feet on those mineral shipments.
Trump believes Beijing is doing it on purpose. He also wants to remind Xi that he thinks China has more to lose from a failed trade deal than the US does — a view shared by his staff, who believe this gives them the upper hand.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said over the weekend, “I’m confident that when President Trump and Party Chairman Xi have a call this will be ironed out.” But that’s assuming Xi ever calls back.
Trump hasn’t stopped trying. Yesterday, he posted on Truth Social: “I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!” That sums up where things stand — Trump wants results, and Xi won’t even pick up the phone.
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