Trump said in his Truth Social post that the hour-and-a-half conversation phone call was “focused almost entirely on TRADE,” while the Chinese readout singled out Xi’s stern warning on Taiwan – the reddest of lines for Beijing – and the issue of Chinese student visas.

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first known phone call of Trump’s term on Thursday morning, Chinese state media said.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that China's President Xi Jinping was "extremely hard" to make a deal with. A senior White House official told CNBC earlier on Monday that Trump and Xi are likely to speak this week.