A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping has ended after a 100-minute discussion that reportedly took longer than planned. The two leaders, who met in Busan, South Korea, agreed on a one-year supply deal for key rare earths.
The meeting marked the first face-to-face meeting between the two in six years, amid ongoing trade tensions. According to a report from the AP news agency, both sides are trying to limit further economic damage caused by the tariff dispute – China has restricted exports of rare earths, while Trump has threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Chinese goods.
After the meeting, Trump announced that he had reduced the tariff on fentanyl from 20 percent to 10 percent. He also confirmed that China will continue to export rare earths, saying: “There will be no roadblocks.”
Trump assesses Xi Jinping meeting ’12 on 10′
Trump rated the meeting a “12” on a scale of 0 to 10 and revealed plans to visit China in April.
Speaking about his talks with President Xi Jinping, Trump said: “We will release a statement with some details, but overall I think on a scale of 0 to 10, with 10 being the best, the meeting was a 12.
He added: “I’m going to China in April and he’s coming here sometime after that, whether it’s in Florida, Palm Beach or Washington, DC.”
The US president also said that “we’ve taken a lot of things to the finals” and hailed Xi as a “tremendous leader of a very strong country”.
The meeting with Xi Jinping set the tone for Trump’s week-long diplomatic tour. Before departing from South Korea, he thanked the South Korean officials for their warm hospitality and said goodbye to them.
His departure followed several days of back-to-back clashes that underscored Washington’s efforts to strengthen alliances and advance US economic interests in the Indo-Pacific.
In a social media post shortly before the launch, the White House said: “POTUS is boarding Air Force One and preparing for the long journey home after a remarkable trip to Asia. This week the President has secured billions in new investment, ended a war, struck several trade and mineral deals, met with President Xi and more. He will never stop working for the United States.”
Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi in Busan was widely seen as the highlight of his visit. The leaders of the world’s two largest economies offered a crucial opportunity to ease months of tensions over tariffs, technology restrictions and rare earth exports.
The talks took place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Busan, a major port city about 76 kilometers south of Gyeongju, the summit’s main venue.
