United States President Donald Trump, after intermittently sparring with the mainland, finally wrote a letter to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping seeking constructive relations with the country. The leaders have not spoken to each other directly ever since Trump officially assumed the presidency.
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Reports state that an official phone call between the leaders has still not be made as Beijing fears the Chinese President will be left humiliated in case the call goes wrong and the details of the conversation leaked in media. Certain excerpts of Trump's phone conversation with the Mexican President Nieto and the Australian Prime Minister Turnbull were revealed where he threatened to send US troops to Mexico with the former and hung up the call on the latter.
"That is the last thing China wants. It would be incredibly embarrassing for President Xi and for Chinese people, who value the concept of face," a source familiar with China's thinking on relations with the United States told Reuters. "
Trump, in his letter, thanked Xi for his congratulatory note on his inauguration and wished the Chinese people a prosperous Lunar New Year of the Rooster, according to a White House statement released on Wednesday.
"President Trump stated that he looks forward to working with President Xi to develop a constructive relationship that benefits both the United States and China," the statement said.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry however did not release an immediate comment on Thursday. A senior Western diplomat told Reuters that China was not in a rush to set up a phone call with Trump which may go awry.
"These things need to happen in a very controlled environment for China, and China can't guarantee that with the unpredictable Trump. Trump also seems too distracted with other issues at the moment to give too much attention to China," the diplomat said.
