Donald Trump, the U.S. President, and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping recently had their first in-person meeting in six years aimed at resolving an ongoing trade dispute, all while Trump signaled that the U.S. would start nuclear weapon testing immediately, marking the first such tests in over three decades.
The meeting took place at a military airbase in Busan, South Korea, and was noted to have lasted around one hour and 45 minutes, although leading up to it, Trump had anticipated it might extend up to four hours.
As they concluded their discussions, both leaders appeared quite positive, exchanging greetings and a handshake. Trump then proceeded back to Washington.
No official summary of their high-profile discussions was released immediately.
Trump expressed ongoing optimism about the U.S.-China relationship, stating, “I believe we’ve struck agreements on numerous key points. President Xi is a remarkable leader of a great nation, and I see a fantastic relationship ahead for the long term.”
According to Xi, he and Trump have had three phone conversations since Trump’s reelection.
Xi noted that given the distinct national atmospheres, there may be disagreements, which is natural for the world’s leading economies, but he on the whole viewed the relationship as stable.
Before the meeting began, Trump took to social media to brag about U.S. nuclear capabilities, stating he directed the Pentagon to resume nuclear testing on an equal footing with other nations, effective immediately.
The United States has maintained a self-imposed ban on nuclear testing since 1992, although it could resume developments at any time.
In his post, Trump claimed, “The U.S. possesses more nuclear weapons than any other nation, with Russia falling in second place.” He added, “China, while still far behind, will catch up within five years. Due to international testing, I’ve instructed our military to start testing nuclear arms as well, effective instantly.”
Trump’s Asia tour wraps up with this meeting in South Korea, and negotiations earlier this week in Malaysia led to a tentative framework around trade discussions, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Ultimately, though, any resolution must spring from the two leaders to put everything on paper.
Experts expect that, even if a temporary ceasefire is reached and deadlines are pushed back, any resulting agreements will likely provide only short-term relief without extensive structural reforms in this critical global relationship.
Key Topics Under Discussion
Not long ago, China unveiled plans to substantially tighten restrictions on rare earth minerals, vital for making everything from smartphone chips to defense tech. With these new regulations, foreign entities will need Chinese government permissions to export anything containing even minor amounts of certain rare earths sourced from China.
Bessent mentioned that during the discussions, China had consented to a one-year deferment of these restrictions, but that’s not much time to create significant alternatives.
These export limits fit into Beijing’s broader economic negotiation strategies, with experts suggesting that China is keen to leverage its internal market controls.
Bessent highlights that tariffs against China will also be a prominent issue.1 Previously, in retaliation for China’s rare earth rules, Trump had threatened to activate an additional 100% tariff on China, though that threat now seems to be off the table.
However, as of November 10, the truce over extremely high tariffs will conclude; an extension is anticipated but with ongoing tariffs remaining significantly high on products from both nations.
This year, Trump imposed a 20% tariff on Chinese goods, a move prompted by claims of China’s near absence of action against the export of illicit fentanyl. Moving forward, he articulated intentions to lessen these tariffs.
Additionally, their discussions will tackle American soybean farmers’ growing worries. During the trade friction, China has increasingly opted for soybean supplies from Argentina, putting an extra financial strain on U.S. growers.
Bloomberg and Reuters reported that China has started purchasing a few cargoes of soybeans from the current U.S. harvest — its first such procurements for the season — while featuring in mentions of potential short-term leniency against a backdrop of China’s leaning towards reduced U.S. dependence.
Moreover, there’s a possibility that the impending deal concerning TikTok’s operations in the United States could be finalized during their meeting. Bessent expressed his confidence in having achieved a milestone towards garnering Chinese approval for the TikTok transaction amidst their Malaysian talks.
The agreement consists of a joint venture dominated by U.S. investors with Oracle managing the platform’s algorithms.
On the broader geopolitical stage, there’s speculation surrounding Xi’s intent for Trump to reconsider U.S. backing for Taiwan, a strategically significant and democratically governed island claimed by China.
Trump downplayed the matter, suggesting it’s unclear whether Taiwan will even be brought up, reinforcing America’s vital role in the region’s politics and military support.
Additionally, Trump’s agenda includes persuading Xi to leverage his relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin to help broach a settlement for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, as well as to cease Russian fuel acquisitions.
