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Leader Donald Trump has stated that he plans to travel to Beijing in spring and extended an invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping for a diplomatic trip later next year, subsequent to a telephone conversation between the two leaders.

Trump and Xi—who met nearly a month ago in Korea—discussed a range of issues including trade, the Ukraine conflict, the opioid crisis, and the island of Taiwan, per the U.S. leader and Beijing's diplomatic corps.

"The U.S.-China ties is very robust!" Trump stated in a online message.

Official Chinese media published a statement that noted both nations should "continue advancing, proceed in the positive way on the principle of parity, respect and mutual benefit".

Prior Engagement and Trade Developments

The officials met in Busan in October, following which they settled on a pause on trade taxes. The United States opted to slash a 20 percent duty in half aimed at the supply of fentanyl.

Trade taxes remain on products from China and stand at close to half.

"Afterwards, the China-US relationship has generally maintained a stable and upward path, and this is greeted positively by the both nations and the international community at large," the official comment said.

• The United States then pulled back a potential imposition of 100% additional tariffs on Chinese goods, while Beijing delayed its plan to enforce its new set of restrictions on rare earths.

Economic Emphasis

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that the phone discussion with Xi—which went on for an hour—was centered on economic issues.

"The U.S. is happy with what we've witnessed from the China, and they share that sentiment," she said.

Wider Discussions

In addition to talking about economic matters, Xi and Trump raised the topics of the conflict in Ukraine and Taiwan.

Xi informed Trump that Taiwan's "integration into China" is essential for China's vision for the "post-war international order".

The Chinese government has been engaged in a foreign policy clash with Japan, a US ally, over the longstanding "uncertain policy" on the sovereignty of self-governed Taiwan.

Earlier this month, Japan's leader Sanae Takaichi commented that a potential assault from Beijing on the island could force a response from Japan's forces.

Trump, but, did not mention the island in his social media update about the discussion.

The U.S. representative in Japan, George Glass, had earlier stated that the United States stands with the Japanese in the aftermath of China's "intimidation".