Trump Called Xi Jinping and Finally Gave a CNY Greeting

Donald Trump had his first official phone call with Xi Jinping last night. 

According an official statement from the White House Press Secretary, Trump agreed to honor the "One China" policy during the call:

"President Donald J. Trump and President Xi Jinping of China had a lengthy telephone conversation on Thursday evening. The two leaders discussed numerous topics and President Trump agreed, at the request of President Xi, to honor our 'one China' policy. Representatives of the United States and China will engage in discussions and negotiations on various issues of mutual interest. The phone call between President Trump and President Xi was extremely cordial and both leaders extended best wishes to the people of each other's countries. They also extended invitations to meet in their respective countries. President Trump and President Xi look forward to further talks with very successful outcomes."

The man who loves to tweet and express himself in 140 or less characters also sent a letter to Xi on Wednesday.

Trump wrote and wished the Chinese people a "happy Lantern Festival and prosperous Year of the Rooster" and said that "he looks forward to working with Xi to develop a constructive relationship that benefits both the United States and China." 

This is not the first time the two have communicated. Xi has reached out to Trump three times since his win in November. They also spoke on November 14 in which Xi said cooperation was "the only correct choice" for US-Sino relations. 

Trump received criticism for not extending new year greetings to China, especially after his daughter, Ivanka, visited the Chinese embassy in Washington DC with daughter Arabella to celebrate the start of Spring Festival. 

One Weibo user noted “Trump’s daughter visits China’s embassy and wishes China a happy New Year! The daughter understands more than the father.”

Arabella became somewhat of a celebrity in China after a video of her singing in Mandarin went viral in November 2016.

[Images via Flickr, Death and Taxes, CNTV]

Additional reporting by Bridget O'Donnell