Trump's Letter to the President of China

Donald Trump, the President of the United States, in a letter to the President of China, expresses his welcome for cooperation in developing structural relations between Washington and Beijing. Since winning the election and beginning his leadership at the White House, the U.S. President has criticized several of China's economic policies and what he sees as Beijing's lack of cooperation in resolving the North Korean issue. Chinese officials have also criticized Mr. Trump's statements, particularly regarding Taiwan. Donald Trump has yet to directly contact Xi Jinping, the President of China. In the letter sent from the U.S. President to the Chinese President, Trump congratulates on the Chinese New Year (which began on January 28 this year according to the lunar calendar used in East Asia). He wishes the Chinese people a prosperous period in the 'Year of the Rooster.' According to the White House, the U.S. President stated in this letter that he welcomes cooperation to develop structural relations with Xi [Jinping] to ensure the interests of both the United States and China. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has not yet responded to this letter. Reuters reports, citing officials and sources, that after Trump's phone conversation with the Australian Prime Minister, which apparently lasted less than the scheduled time and was accompanied by severe criticisms from the U.S. President, Beijing is assessing the timing and manner of establishing a phone contact with Mr. Trump. These sources have indicated that China does not want a similar report of a potential phone conversation between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to be published, especially since this could have a significantly worse cultural reflection in China, where people place great importance on 'saving face.' However, there have been contacts between senior officials of the two countries during this time. For example, Yang Jiechi, a senior political advisor in the Chinese government, has spoken with Michael Flynn, Donald Trump's National Security Advisor. Reports suggest that Mr. Yang told Mr. Flynn that his country hopes to establish cooperation in managing and controlling sensitive issues between the two sides.