Ever since Trump announced a new 10 percent across-the-board tariff on China in February, the White House has repeatedly hinted that a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping was imminent. But unlike other targets of Trump’s second-term tariff threats, Beijing has thus far largely refused to engage with the administration — even after the White House doubled its China tariffs in March.

“Trump sort of sent the signal, ‘If you come to Washington, make nice and negotiate, maybe you’ll get some breaks.’ And so far Xi Jinping just hasn’t been willing to come over and negotiate,” said Peter Harrell, who led the international economics team on President Joe Biden’s National Security Council.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/...-china-00265136