Xi told Trump -- who frequently savaged China on the campaign trail and threatened to impose a 45 per cent tariff on Chinese exports -- that the world's top two economies "need cooperation and there are a lot of things we can cooperate on", CCTV reported. Xi and Trump "vowed to keep close contact, build good working relations, and meet at an early date to exchange views on issues of mutual interest and the development of bilateral ties", CCTV said. Before his election Trump went as far as calling the Asian giant America's "enemy" and pledged to stand up to a country he says views the US as a pushover. CCTV cited Trump as saying in the call that China was a large and important nation that he was willing to work with, and that he believed Sino-US relations could realise "win-win" benefits. The phrasing the broadcaster attributed to the US president-elect is typical of Chinese diplomacy.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 14, 2016 07:07 UTC