WASHINGTON—Donald Trump has told advisers he wants to travel to China after he takes office, according to people familiar with the discussions, seeking to deepen a relationship with Xi Jinping strained by the president-elect’s threat to impose steeper tariffs on Chinese imports.
Trump visited Beijing in 2017, nearly a year into his first term. Aides cautioned that no decision has been made for him to go again. One of the people familiar with the discussions said Trump has expressed interest in traveling to China in his first 100 days in office. Trump’s transition team didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Trump and Xi spoke by phone on Friday for the first time since the November election, discussing trade, fentanyl, TikTok and other subjects. “It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately,” Trump wrote on social media after the call.
People close to Beijing’s decision-making said Trump and Xi, through their representatives, have discussed meeting in person, with one option involving the incoming American president inviting the Chinese leader to the U.S. It wasn’t clear if Trump raised a visit to China in his Friday conversation with Xi.
Trump had invited Xi to his inauguration on Monday, but the Chinese leader is sending Vice President Han Zheng instead.
With economic pressure building in China, Beijing has a strong interest in engaging in negotiations to fend off, or at least slow down, tariff hikes promised by Trump. A summit between the two leaders, the people close to Beijing’s decision-making said, could help jump-start the process. Trump has pledged to impose tariffs of up to 60% on imports from China.
China’s official account of Friday’s phone call between Trump and Xi said the two leaders agreed to establish a strategic communication channel. It quoted Trump telling the Chinese leader that he was “looking forward to meeting with President Xi as soon as possible.”
Trump’s visit to Beijing in late 2017 came months after meeting Xi face-to-face for the first time at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate. He toured the Forbidden City and took in a Peking Opera performance.
Trump has also talked to advisers about a possible trip to India, according to people close to him.
His initial focus is expected to be on domestic moves, including sharp new border security measures and increased deportations. He is expected to travel around the U.S. in his first week in office to tout executive orders he’s planning to sign on energy and other issues, according to people familiar with his plans. Trump is planning to tour fire-ravaged Los Angeles later in the week.
A Beijing meeting would come at a fraught moment in the relationship between the world’s leading superpowers. Along with new tariffs on Chinese imports, Trump has also pushed Beijing to crack down on Chinese chemical producers that supply the ingredients for fentanyl to Mexican cartels.
Another potential flashpoint is Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory and hasn’t ruled out using force to take. Trump hasn’t said much about how he will handle the delicate U.S. relationship with Taipei, other than pressing its leaders to spend significantly more on defense. In their call Friday, Xi also reminded Trump to handle the issue of Taiwan “with prudence,” calling it a concern of national sovereignty and territorial integrity, state media said.
Han Kuo-yu, the speaker of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan, will lead a Taiwanese delegation including lawmakers from both the Democratic and Nationalist, or Kuomintang, parties to attend Trump’s inauguration.
“It’s about representing the government in a bipartisan way, showing how much we value Taiwan-U.S. relations, and taking this chance to congratulate the new Trump administration,” Lin Chia-lung, Taiwan’s foreign minister, told reporters early this month.
Han, Xi’s special envoy for Trump’s inauguration, is seen as a pragmatist by many in Washington. He largely plays a ceremonial role as the vice president. An English speaker, Han ran Shanghai for years, and American businesses considered him an ally who supported foreign investment. Some executives have hoped that Xi would pick Han as his representative to the inauguration as that could signal to the Trump team Beijing’s willingness to negotiate a trade deal.
Trump could see Xi as a partner in helping bring the war in Ukraine to an end, as China has provided support to Russia, drawing the ire of U.S. lawmakers. Trump’s social-media post about Friday’s call with Xi didn’t mention the conflict. “President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!” he said.
Annie Linskey contributed to this article.
