Chinese president Xi tells Trump his "only choice" is cooperation

President of China Xi Jinping has told Donald Trump that his "only choice" will be to cooperate with his government on trade, despite claims from the president-elect that he will pull the US from several global trade deals.

State broadcaster China Central Television reported that the first conversation between Trump and Xi discussed a variety of issues, and that both men agreed that a strong relationship was mutually beneficial.

"China and the US, as the world’s biggest developing country and the biggest developed country, and the top two global economies, need to and can cooperate on many issues," Xi said, according to CCTV.

"At this moment, there is an important opportunity and massive potential for China-US cooperation so that both sides need to strengthen coordination."

Trump previously accused China of victimising America, as well as referring to climate change as a "hoax" created by the Asian superpower.

As with many claims made by the former reality television star during his barnstorming campaign, Trump appears to have adopted a less hardline stance towards China since his election last week.

He said that the call between the two "established a clear sense of mutual respect", and added that the two would arrange to meet in the near future.