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Former President Donald Trump has confirmed that he agreed to travel to China's capital in spring and asked Chinese President Xi Jinping for a diplomatic trip in the coming year, following a phone call between the two officials.

Trump and Xi—who met about a month back in the Republic of Korea—discussed a range of issues including economic relations, the situation in Ukraine, synthetic drugs, and Taiwan, according to the U.S. leader and Chinese officials.

"Bilateral relations is highly solid!" Trump wrote in a social media update.

Beijing's press outlet published a comment that noted both nations should "continue advancing, progress in the right direction on the foundation of parity, respect and mutual benefit".

Previous Meeting and Economic Agreements

The leaders met in the South Korean city of Busan in last October, after which they reached a ceasefire on tariffs. The United States decided to slash a import tax by half aimed at the movement of the drug fentanyl.

Tariffs continue on imports and average just below 50%.

"Since then, the China-US relationship has generally maintained a consistent and favorable course, and this is greeted positively by the both nations and the international community at large," the Beijing's announcement said.

• The United States then retracted a threat of double tariffs on China's exports, while the Chinese government put off its scheme to implement its new set of restrictions on rare earths.

Focus on Trade

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the Monday call with Xi—which went on for an hour—was centered on trade.

"The U.S. is happy with what we've observed from the Chinese, and they share that sentiment," she remarked.

Wider Discussions

In addition to addressing economic matters, Xi and Trump broached the issues of the conflict in Ukraine and the island.

Xi informed Trump that the island's "return to China" is critical for China's vision for the "global system after conflicts".

Beijing has been engaged in a diplomatic battle with the Japanese government, a U.S. friend, over the longstanding "vague stance" on the sovereignty of Taiwan.

In the past few weeks, Tokyo's head Sanae Takaichi commented that a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan could lead to a reaction by Tokyo's army.

Trump, however, did not refer to the island in his online message about the call.

US Ambassador to Japan, George Glass, noted before that the US supports Japan in the aftermath of Beijing's "coercion".