Two people familiar with the matter said there had been no movement towards arranging such a conversation, which was reliant on the American leader’s willingness to take the initiative.

The call was the first direct contact of its kind since 1979 and Beijing responded by lodging a formal diplomatic protest and criticising the call as a “small trick” by Taiwan.

The apparent restraint this time around goes beyond high-level contacts. Multiple sources suggested that no new US arms-sale announcements for Taiwan were likely in the near term, either. However, some packages are expected to be announced or approved afterwards.

‘A milestone visit’: Xi and Trump set sights on stability for China-US relations