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Article snippet: WASHINGTON — President Trump insisted that he and President Xi Jinping had a “very strong phone call” on Wednesday. But if Mr. Trump kept alive the rapport he has painstakingly cultivated with the Chinese leader, the 45-minute call still served to underscore the widening fissures between Washington and Beijing and the deepening confusion about how the Trump administration is managing the relationship. The National Security Council is conducting a review of the White House’s China policy — taking into account Mr. Trump’s populist trade agenda and differences over how to curb the rogue government in North Korea — but it has commanded little attention. Aside from Mr. Trump himself, it remains unclear who in the administration wields genuine influence on the relationship. Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, who helped broker the first meeting between the two presidents last April, was once expected to function as a high-level conduit. But his involvement in China has waned; he did not accept an invitation from the Chinese to go to Beijing this month for a visit that some expected would be in preparation for Mr. Trump’s state visit in November. Other officials who have staked a claim to China, such as Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson and the commerce secretary, Wilbur Ross, have run afoul of Mr. Trump, either on specific policies or broader issues. And Mr. Trump’s national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, is not playing the coordinating role on China t... Link to the full article to read more