On Friday, US President-elect Donald Trump stated that he and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping had a fruitful discussion on various fronts, such as trade, fentanyl and the social media app TikTok.

Trump expressed hope for positive outcomes on social media, referring to the call as highly constructive. "The call was a very good one for both China and the U.S.A. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing trade, fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects," he wrote. The importance of cooperation between the two countries was further emphasised by Trump, who declared, "President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!"

Chinese state media outlet Xinhua confirmed that the two leaders had a phone conversation but they did not share any specific details about what was discussed. This call comes after Trump’s comments on January 6, where he mentioned that he had been in contact with Xi through representatives and expressed hope for improving their relationship. China said earlier in the day that Vice President Han Zheng has been designated as Donald Trump's special representative and that Jinping will not be present for the inauguration, which is set for January 20 in Washington.

"We stand ready to work with the new US government to enhance dialogue and communication, properly manage differences, expand mutually beneficial cooperation, jointly pursue a stable, healthy and sustainable China-US relations and find the right way for the two countries to get along with each other," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in an official statement. The ceremonies for Donald Trump's swearing-in as the 47th President of the US officially began last week with fireworks.