Trump touts ‘big progress’ on China trade war after phone call with Xi Jinping

US President Donald Trump has touted “big progress” after a phone call with his Chinese counterpart on trade, after the tariff war between the world’s two biggest economies helped rattle markets.

“Just had a long and very good call with President Xi of China,” Mr Trump said on Twitter on Saturday.

“Deal is moving along very well. If made, it will be very comprehensive, covering all subjects, areas and points of dispute. Big progress being made!”

Mr Trump also said on Saturday that he’s waiting for Democrats to come back to negotiate a deal to end a weeklong partial government shutdown that will almost certainly extend into the new year.

In a tweet, Mr Trump said he’s “in the White House waiting for the Democrats to come on over and make a deal on Border Security.”

Mr Trump is demanding billions for a border wall between the US and Mexico, which Democrats have refused to provide.

As usual, Mr Trump has been firing off Twitter taunts, after cancelling his planned Florida vacation over the impasse. His aides are claiming that Democrats have walked away from the negotiating table, though Democrats say the White House has not reached out in weeks directly to Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi, who appears set to take the speaker’s gavel when the new Congress convenes on Thursday.

President Trump and Democrats are trading blame for the partial government shutdown. But they’re doing little substantive talking with each other as the disruption in federal services slogs into another weekend. Mr Trump now is threatening to close the Mexican border to press Congress to give him money for a wall.

Democrats are vowing to pass legislation restoring the government when they take control of the House on Thursday. But that won’t accomplish anything unless Mr Trump and the Republican-controlled Senate go along with it.

The effects of the impasse are growing.

The Environmental Protection Agency implemented its shutdown plan at midnight Friday night. It had enough money to operate a week longer than other agencies.

Thousands of employees are being furloughed. Disaster-response teams will still work.