Trump praises President Xi, says he looks forward to ‘getting along with China’

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on April 6, 2017.

Carlos Barria | Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that he has “always had a great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping and that he looks forward to “getting along with China.”

The U.S. and China will “have a very good relationship,” the president said in a virtual interview at the World Economic Forum, according to the White House readout.

“All we want is fairness. We just want a level playing field,” Trump said. “But I like President Xi very much. I’ve always liked him.”

The newly minted president said earlier this week that he may increase duties on Chinese goods by 10% as soon as Feb. 1. The White House on Monday also announced plans to investigate China over actions harmful to U.S. commerce.

During his campaign trail, Trump had floated imposing tariffs upward of 60% on Chinese goods.

Trump also said he hoped to work with China to put an end to the Russia-Ukraine war. “Hopefully, China can help us stop the war with, in particular, Russia-Ukraine. And they have a great deal of power over that situation, and we’ll work with them.”

China has also emphasized its willingness to negotiate with Washington. The Ministry of Commerce said it had always maintained communication with “relevant” U.S. authorities on economy and trade.

“China is willing to work with the U.S. to push bilateral economic and trade relations in a stable, healthy and sustainable direction,” ministry spokesperson He Yadong said Thursday, noting that was on the basis of “mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.”

Trump said last week that he spoke with Chinese President Xi over the phone about TikTok and trade. The Chinese side’s readout did not mention the social media app, but said Xi called for cooperation and cast the two countries’ economic ties as mutually beneficial.