Highlighting close personal ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the US President Donald J. Trump Thursday hit out at the trade deficit between the two countries, calling for “fairness” in trade ties during his address at the Swiss alpine town of Davos.

In 2017, weeks after Donald Trump’s first presidential election victory, Xi Jinping became the first Chinese head of state to address the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland — winning applause as he inveighed against protectionism and declared that a trade war would hurt both sides.