Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke separately by phone with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the same day, discussing Iran and other major international issues, according to Chinese and US accounts. The calls underscore Beijing’s effort to deepen ties with Moscow while managing persistent tensions with Washington over trade, Taiwan and global security.
Chinese state media said Xi urged mutual respect in US-China relations and advocated resolving disputes through incremental trust building. State broadcaster CCTV quoted Xi as saying issues could be handled one by one and that the goal should be mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation. Chinese accounts also said Xi warned Trump to exercise caution on Taiwan, a highly sensitive point where Beijing opposes US arms sales and political support for Taipei.
Trump posted that the conversation was ‘excellent’ on his Truth Social platform and said his personal relationship with Xi remained extremely good. According to the US side, the leaders discussed trade, Taiwan, Russia’s war in Ukraine and Iran. Chinese reporting said Xi framed 2026 as a year to stabilize bilateral ties.
In a separate call with Vladimir Putin, Xi welcomed deeper cooperation with Moscow. The two leaders have portrayed their relationship as strengthening amid a turbulent global environment. European officials have urged China to distance itself from Russia, which seeks relief from Western sanctions, but both Beijing and Moscow emphasized mutual support.
Russian state television aired opening remarks from Putin in which he said he wanted to reiterate firm support for their shared efforts to safeguard sovereignty and security, promote socio-economic welfare and defend the right to choose their own development path.
Taken together, the calls illustrate Beijing’s balancing act: cultivating a closer partnership with Russia while trying to manage and, where possible, stabilize a fraught relationship with the United States.