A Chinese official has shared with Newsweek his government's desire to start fresh with President Donald Trump after the newly sworn-in U.S. leader made numerous references to China during his first day in office.
Throughout his event-filled inauguration on Monday, Trump expressed his willingness to work with China on a number of issues, including bilateral trade and the fate of the popular Chinese-owned social media app TikTok. At the same time, he accused Beijing of capitalizing on unfair advantages vis-à-vis the U.S., including climate-related commitments, contributions to the World Health Organization and shipping rates at the Panama Canal, which Trump alleged that China effectively operated despite the waterway being controlled by the Panamanian government since being transferred by the U.S. half a century ago.
Trump, who has often called for a tougher line on Beijing, also opened the door to traveling to China this year for a potential meeting with President Xi Jinping, with whom he spoke during a telephone call on Friday.
Responding to Trump's variety of remarks on Monday, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy to the U.S., told Newsweek that China sought to engage with the new White House on good terms to find space for cooperation.
"China is willing to work with the new U.S. government, under the strategic guidance of the two heads of state, in the spirit of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, to maintain communication, strengthen cooperation, properly manage differences, and promote greater progress in China-US relations from a new starting point," Liu said.
What Trump Said About China
The Panama Canal
In his only reference to China during his Inauguration speech, which was attended by Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, Trump alleged that "China is operating the Panama Canal, and we didn't give it to China, we gave it to Panama, and we're taking it back."
The comments, in line with the position the incoming U.S. leader began voicing last month, drew a sharp response from Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino.
"I must fully reject the statements made by President Donald Trump regarding Panama and its Canal in his inaugural address," Mulino said in a statement shortly after Trump's speech. "I reiterate what I said in my message to the nation on December 22: the Canal is and will remain under Panamanian control with respect to its permanent neutrality."
"There is no presence of any nation in the world interfering with our administration," the Central American leader added.
TikTok
Hours before the app was set to be banned by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling rooted in national security concerns over user data privacy and its connections to the Chinese government, TikTok preemptively went dark across the nation late Saturday. Users received a message expressing hope that Trump would "work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office."
By Sunday, however, TikTok was live again with a new message thanking Trump for his efforts to prevent the app from being blacklisted. Following his return to the Oval Office on Monday, Trump signed an executive order to delay TikTok's restricted status by 75 days in a bid to override the federal ban.
Trump told reporters that he would seek a 50-50 partnership between TikTok's current owner, China-based Bytedance, and a U.S. entity.
Asked why he had seemingly shifted his position on the issue since previously calling for TikTok to be sold to a U.S. company or removed from the U.S. market altogether, a position still expressed by a number of prominent conservative voices, Trump suggested that he had a change of heart after becoming an active user himself, a decision he credited to winning over young voters.
"I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok that I didn't have originally," Trump told reporters at the White House. "But then I went on TikTok, and I won people up by 36%."
He also downplayed the alleged security concerns, saying he believed that the U.S. had "bigger problems" than worrying about China accessing "information about young kids."
Trade
Trump's longstanding grievances with the U.S.-China trade deficit fueled him to launch an effective trade war against the world's second-largest economy during his first term in office. He carried this position with him on the campaign trail, threatening to institute tariffs as high as 60 percent on incoming goods from China.
But as Trump vowed to establish 25 opercent tariffs on imports from neighboring Canada and Mexico as soon as February 1, he declined to commit to taking action on China until holding discussions on the matter.
"We're going to have meetings and calls with President Xi," Trump told reporters.
Trump also, however, signed an executive order calling for a government-wide review of the country's trade policies and the establishment of a new agency, the External Revenue Service. He hinted at the possibility of rolling out a universal tariff regime as well.
Traveling to China
The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that Trump had informed his advisers of his intention to visit China within 100 days of taking office. Asked by reporters if he planned to make the trip this year, he replied, "Could be, I've had the invite."
Trump previously visited China during the first year of his previous presidency in November 2017. Trump also earlier hosted Xi at his Mar-a-Lago resort that April and met with his Chinese counterpart in Germany that July in Germany before encountering him in Argentina in December 2018 and in Japan in June 2019.
Despite heightened U.S.-China tensions during his prior tenure in office, Trump has also spoken warmly of his relationship with Xi on several occasions, including after their most recent call three days before the inauguration.
Trump-Xi Call
Trump described his conversation with Xi on Friday as "a very good one for both China and the U.S.A." in a post published that same day on his Truth Social platform.
"It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately," Trump wrote. "We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects. President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!"
In his comments shared with Newsweek, Liu offered some further details of their conversation, during which "the two heads of state agreed to establish a strategic communication channel and maintain regular contact on major issues of common concern to the two countries."
"President Xi pointed out that both China and the United States attach great importance to mutual interaction and hope that China-US relations will have a good start in the new term of the US President," Liu said.
Liu said the Chinese leader highlighted how, "as two major countries with different national conditions, it is inevitable that there will be some differences between China and the United States," yet "the key is to respect each other's core interests and major concerns and find a way to properly resolve the problem."
The sensitive issue of Taiwan also came up. The self-ruling island has received increasing military and political support from the U.S. despite being claimed by China.
"The Taiwan issue concerns China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is hoped that the US side will handle it with caution," Liu said. "The essence of China-US economic and trade relations is mutual benefit and win-win, and confrontation and conflict should not be our choice."
As Trump's ascension to office marks another potential turning point for U.S.-China relations that have been increasingly consumed by a global great power competition, Liu urged for greater bilateral cooperation.
"The two sides should strengthen cooperation and do more major, practical and good things that are beneficial to the two countries and the world," Liu said, "so that the two giant ships of China and the United States can continue to move forward along the route of stable, healthy and sustainable development."
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