China's yuan slipped against the dollar while falling to a near two-year low versus its major trading partners on Friday, as U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping held a much-anticipated call but left key issues that have stoked tensions between the world's two largest economies unresolved.

China views its rare earths as a national security issue, not a trade one, and that’s why Beijing is unlikely to loosen controls any time soon, experts say.

Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social that his call with Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, had focused entirely on the trade relationship between the nations, which has soured in recent months in a dispute over the export of critical minerals used in an array of industries.