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Former President Donald Trump has declared that he agreed to go to the Chinese capital in the month of April and asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for a official visit in the coming year, following a discussion between the two heads of state.

Trump and Xi—who met recently in the Republic of Korea—talked about a variety of topics including trade, the situation in Ukraine, the opioid crisis, and the island of Taiwan, per the president and Chinese officials.

"The U.S.-China ties is highly solid!" Trump stated in a online message.

Beijing's press outlet issued a announcement that indicated both nations should "maintain progress, proceed in the correct path on the foundation of fairness, mutual respect and shared interests".

Previous Meeting and Trade Developments

The heads of state convened in the South Korean city of Busan in October, after which they settled on a pause on tariffs. The U.S. government decided to reduce a import tax by half aimed at the flow of the drug fentanyl.

Trade taxes stay on imports and stand at close to half.

"Since then, the Sino-American ties has largely sustained a consistent and favorable course, and this is welcomed by the each side and the international community at large," the Chinese statement said.

• The US then withdrew a warning of double tariffs on Chinese goods, while Beijing put off its plan to implement its recent phase of rare earth export controls.

Economic Emphasis

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt commented that the recent conversation with Xi—which took around 60 minutes—was mainly about commerce.

"The U.S. is happy with what we've observed from the Chinese, and they feel the same way," she remarked.

Wider Discussions

Besides addressing economic matters, Xi and Trump broached the topics of the Ukraine war and Taiwan.

Xi stated to Trump that the island's "integration into China" is critical for Beijing's perspective for the "world order following wars".

China has been part of a foreign policy clash with the Japanese government, a U.S. friend, over the longstanding "uncertain policy" on the sovereignty of the independently administered island.

Recently, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi commented that a potential assault from Beijing on Taiwan could force a reaction by Tokyo's army.

Trump, however, did not discuss the Taiwan issue in his Truth Social post about the discussion.

America's envoy to Tokyo, George Glass, noted before that the U.S. government supports the Japanese in the aftermath of China's "intimidation".