Both leaders were upbeat about the call, with Trump calling it "a very good one" and Xi saying he and Trump both hoped for a positive start to US-China relations, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
It was the first phone call between the pair since Trump's election in November.
There is an array of looming diplomatic and economic difficulties facing US-China relations.
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) pic.twitter.com/iXNRUqt33bJanuary 17, 2025
The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law that mandates TikTok owner ByteDance divest TikTok's US assets by Sunday to a non-Chinese buyer or be banned on national security concerns.
"The call was a very good one for both China and the USA. It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately. We discussed balancing Trade, Fentanyl, TikTok, and many other subjects," Trump wrote in a post on his social media platform.
"President Xi and I will do everything possible to make the World more peaceful and safe!"
Xi raised China's concerns about Taiwan, which officials in Beijing maintain is part of Chinese territory, and said he hoped the US will handle it with great care.
"The Taiwan issue concerns China's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and he hopes the US side will handle it with caution," according to CCTV.
Xi said the United States and China can have their differences but most respect each other's core interests and that trade relations can be mutually beneficial without confrontation and conflict, comments similar to those he made during Trump's first term.
Trump offered strong support to Taiwan, including regularising arms sales, in his first term but during the campaign last year he said Taiwan should pay the US to be defended.
The Republican president-elect, who up-ended trade relations in his first term, is about to embark on an even more aggressive effort in his second term, pledging to impose 10 per cent duties on all US imports and 60 per cent on goods from China.
Trump said on January 6 that he and Xi have been communicating through representatives, expressing optimism about their relationship.
