Former acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney has expressed doubt on President Donald Trump's ability to strike a deal with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping. What Happened: Mulvaney, speaking to Bloomberg TV,

Donald Trump said Wednesday that China's President Xi Jinping was "extremely hard" to make a deal with, at a time when the White House has been suggesting the two leaders could talk this week amid a rise in trade tensions.

Trump "is obsessed with having a call with Xi," according to a news outlet, but China's leader would want assurances, an expert told Newsweek.

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will speak soon to iron out trade issues including a dispute over critical minerals.

U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, according to Chinese state media. The call was initiated by Trump, Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

President Donald Trump's 20th week as commander in chief is set to include a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China sought to depict a call between Xi Jinping and President Trump as an appeal from one strongman leader to another to run a tight ship and stay on course.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to let rare earth minerals and magnets flow to the United States, a move that could lower tensions between the world's biggest economies.