President Donald Trump congratulated Xi Jinping on Wednesday, after the Chinese leader solidified his grip on power at a landmark Communist Party Congress.

"Spoke to President Xi of China to congratulate him on his extraordinary elevation. Also discussed NoKo & trade, two very important subjects!" Trump tweeted after the call.

The phone call came as Xi was formally handed a second term in power and his doctrine was written into the party constitution – putting him on par with the nation’s founder Mao Zedong.

The party meeting also saw the Chinese leader fuel speculation about how long he will remain in the post by not anointing a possible successor to take over in five years’ time.

China’s state-run news agency Xinhua reported that Xi expressed a desire to work with Trump to "jointly blueprint future development of China-US ties."