President Donald Trump said he has accepted an invitation from Chinese leader Xi Jinping to visit Beijing in April and that he reciprocated by inviting Mr Xi for a state visit to the US later next year.

Mr Trump made the announcement a few hours after he spoke with Mr Xi on the phone, in which he said the two men discussed issues including Ukraine, fentanyl and soybeans.

The phone call came nearly one month after the two men met in person in the South Korean city of Busan.

“Our relationship with China is extremely strong!” Mr Trump said.

Beijing, which announced the phone call first, said nothing about the state visits but said that the two leaders discussed trade, Taiwan and Ukraine.

Mr Xi told Mr Trump in the phone call that Taiwan’s return to mainland China is “an integral part of

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