Xi calls for 'mutual respect' with Trump, hails ties with Putin

• Xi urges peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation with US.
• Trump says US-China relationship is “extremely good” after call.
• Trump looks forward to planned trip to China, discusses trade, Iran.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping called Wednesday for "mutual respect" in strengthening relations with the United States, warning President Donald Trump in a phone call to use "caution" when selling arms to Taiwan, Beijing's state media reported.

Xi expressed the hope that bilateral issues — amongst which trade figures highly — could be resolved amicably between the world's two largest economies.

"By tackling issues one by one and continuously building mutual trust, we can forge a right way for the two countries to get along," Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

"Let us make 2026 a year in which China and the United States, as two major countries, move toward mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation," he added.

Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform following what he called an "excellent" call, said ties between the two countries were "extremely good".

"The relationship with China, and my personal relationship with President Xi, is an extremely good one, and we both realise how important it is to keep it that way," Trump said.

The president said he and Xi discussed trade, Taiwan, the Russian war against Ukraine, and Iran, as well as a planned trip to China, which he said "I very much look forward to".

On Taiwan, however, Xi warned Washington to exercise caution in arms sales to the island.

"The Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-US relations... The US must handle arms sales to Taiwan with caution," Xi said, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

The United States approved $11 billion-worth of arms to Taiwan in December, Taipei said.

Putin's 'dear friend'

Speaking by video call several hours earlier, Xi and Putin hailed the strengthening of Chinese-Russian ties.

The two countries have sought to present a united front against the West, with ties deepening since Moscow´s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

A Kremlin aide said the Xi-Putin call was "friendly and trusting" and lasted nearly an hour and a half.

Moscow has increasingly relied on China throughout the Ukraine conflict to keep its economy afloat, faced with crippling Western sanctions.

"Since the beginning of the year, the international situation has become increasingly turbulent," Xi told Putin, calling for "deeper" Chinese-Russian coordination, according to state TV.

Addressing Xi as his "dear friend", Putin voiced a similar message, in a video broadcast on Russian state TV.

The Kremlin said Putin had accepted invitations to visit China in the first half of 2026 and attend the APEC regional summit hosted by Xi in November.

Xi also reiterated his commitment to the international system with the United Nations at its core, after Trump in January unveiled plans for a "Board of Peace" that critics see as an attempt to rival the UN.

The calls took place as Russian, Ukrainian and US negotiators met in Abu Dhabi for a new round of talks on ending the almost four-year war, which has turned into Europe's worst conflict since World War II.

Putin and Xi discussed their "opinions" on the United States, views that, according to the Kremlin, "practically matched" each other.

And "special attention was given to the tense situation in Iran", said Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.

The calls follow a series of meetings between Xi and various leaders in recent months, as he consolidates diplomatic support in the face of an increasingly unpredictable United States.