Why China’s Xi will not call Trump

This is an interesting note from the WSJ’s Lingling Wei who notes that Chinese Presidents nearly never pick up the phone.

Despite repeated signaling from the American president for his Chinese counterpart to call, Xi isn’t calling.

The Chinese might tell you that’s just not how China works. The only instance in recent memory when a Chinese leader initiated contact with an American leader occurred on Sept. 11, 2001, when then-President Jiang Zemin sent a telegram of condolence to George W. Bush following the terrorist attacks in the U.S. The two spoke the next day—but even then, according to China’s official account, it was the U.S. president who requested the call.

She notes that China sees this as a struggle that’s impossible to back down from and not something where Xi would consider breaking the norm. During Trump’s first term, it was always him who reached out to China and she reports that Trump complained to his aides about that.

I don’t think Trump is too proud to pick up the phone but the enthusiasm in the market

This article was written by Adam Button at www.forexlive.com.