Trump "is obsessed with having a call with Xi," according to a news outlet, but China's leader would want assurances, an expert told Newsweek.

U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, according to Chinese state media. The call was initiated by Trump, Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to speak very soon, a senior White House official told CNBC. The discussion would follow a series of recent flare-ups between Washington and Beijing that threaten to derail a tentative trade agreement between the two economic superpowers.