The call is a victory for Trump who spent the last several months voicing his desire to speak with Xi. One person familiar with the talks, granted anonymity to speak candidly, described the president as “obsessed.” For weeks in April, Trump obliquely suggested that the two men had spoken since he took office, when they had not.

US President Donald Trump announced Friday a new round of trade talks with China in London next week, a day after calling Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in a bid to end a bitter battle over tariffs.While Trump's long-awaited phone call with Xi this week likely paved the way for further high-level trade talks,