China’s Xi invited by Trump for autumn trip to US, says envoy

Chinese President Xi Jinping has been invited by US President Donald Trump to visit the US later this year, likely in August or September, Washington's top diplomat in Beijing said Tuesday.

Xi has also invited Trump to visit China in April, US Ambassador David Perdue told Bloomberg.

Perdue said China and the US have largely implemented several consensuses reached during their meeting last year, covering areas such as fentanyl and soybean purchases, reflecting progress in pragmatic cooperation.

"And most important they (China) have actually step forward in our cooperating with law enforcement from the United States," he said, adding that law enforcement agencies from both countries have for the first time worked together to combat fentanyl.

Perdue said communications between the two presidents show a "willingness to have more interactions" across different areas.

"Right now, we have a level of respect and trust," he added.

Earlier, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Trump and Xi could meet as many as four times this year in different settings.

Since Trump was inaugurated in January last year, he and Xi have held several contacts, including their first face-to-face meeting in October in the South Korean city of Busan, which was later described as "successful."

The leaders of the world's two largest economies have also spoken by phone several times over the past year, a period marked by fluctuations in bilateral ties. Relations briefly deteriorated after Washington imposed steep tariffs, which Beijing retaliated against before both sides later withdrew the measures.

China is set to host leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in November in the southern city of Shenzhen, in Guangdong province. Trump is scheduled to host G20 leaders for their annual summit in December in southern Florida.