Trump is waiting for Xi to call. The Chinese see it differently

The White House has made clear to Chinese officials that President Xi Jinping should request a call with Trump. But Beijing has repeatedly refused to arrange a leader-level phone call.

A tariff reprieve from President Donald Trump sent global markets soaring on Wednesday, with the White House saying it’s been in touch with dozens of countries about striking deals, lining up calls and meetings in the coming weeks. But one country was conspicuously absent from any outreach: China As the rest of the world received a 90-day respite, Trump escalated tariffs on China, saying the US will now charge an extra 145% on all Chinese goods that arrive in the US. In response, Beijing moved to exact pain on a strategic US industry by limiting the export of American movies, after already hiking its own tariffs on the US to 84%. An unprecedented trade war between the world’s two economic superpowers is quickly taking shape, with both countries waiting for the other to blink. Two senior White House officials tell CNN that the US will not reach out to China first. Trump has told his team that China must be the first to make the move, as the White House believes it is Beijing that has chosen to retaliate and further escalate the trade war. That stance has been conveyed to Beijing for roughly two months, with Trump’s team clearly telling Chinese officials that President Xi Jinping should request a call with Trump. But Beijing has repeatedly refused to arrange a leader-level phone call, according to three sources familiar with the official communications.