Trump meets ‘tough negotiator’ Xi in South Korea amid US-China trade tensions
NEW DELHI, OCT 30 : Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday told US counterpart Donald Trump that while the two countries did not always see eye to eye, they should strive to be “partners and friends”.
“China and the US can jointly shoulder our responsibility as major countries and work together to accomplish more great and concrete things for the good of our two countries and the whole world,” Xi said as talks kicked off in South Korea’s Busan.
Calling Xi a “tough negotiator,” Trump said he expected a “very successful meeting” with the Chinese leader, adding that they would have a “fantastic relationship for a long time.”
The meeting is a high-stakes effort to stabilise relations between the world’s two largest economies after months of escalating trade tensions.
Trump’s renewed tariff offensive since returning to the White House for a second term — and Beijing’s retaliatory curbs on rare earth exports — have lent the meeting fresh urgency. Both sides recognise that a prolonged standoff could imperil the global economy and hurt their own growth prospects.
In the days leading up to the meeting, U.S. officials have signaled that Trump does not intend to make good on a recent threat to impose an additional 100% import tax on Chinese goods — and China has shown signs it is willing to relax its export controls on rare earths and also buy soybeans from America.
Trump went further aboard Air Force One on his way to South Korea, telling reporters he may reduce tariffs that he placed on China earlier this year related to its role in making fentanyl.
“I expect to be lowering that because I believe that they’re going to help us with the fentanyl situation,” Trump said, later adding, “The relationship with China is very good.”
The meeting will begin at 11 a.m. in Busan, South Korea, about 76 km south of Gyeongju, the main venue of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands before their meeting at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025.
US says 100% tariff on China ‘off the table’ as trade deal ‘consensus’ reached ahead of Trump-Xi meet
At a dinner with fellow APEC leaders on Wednesday night, Trump was overheard saying that his meeting with Xi would last “three, four hours,” after which he planned to return to Washington.
Officials from both countries met earlier this week in Kuala Lumpur to lay the groundwork for their leaders. Afterward, China’s top trade negotiator Li Chenggang said they had reached a “preliminary consensus,” a statement affirmed by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent who said there was ” a very successful framework.”
Expectations of easing U.S.-China tensions have reassured investors and businesses, boosting U.S. markets on hopes the talks will lead to a new trade deal framework.
“The proposed deal on the table fits the pattern we’ve seen all year: short-term stabilization dressed up as strategic progress,” said Craig Singleton, senior director of the China program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “Both sides are managing volatility, calibrating just enough cooperation to avert crisis while the deeper rivalry endures.”
The U.S. and China have each shown they believe they have levers to pressure the other, and the past year has demonstrated that tentative steps forward can be short-lived.
President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands before their meeting at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025.
US and China say a trade deal is drawing closer as Trump and Xi ready for a high-stakes meeting
For Trump, that pressure comes from tariffs.
Right now, China had faced new tariffs this year totaling 30%, of which 20% has been tied to its role in fentanyl production. But the tariff rates have been volatile. In April, he announced plans to jack the rate on Chinese goods to 145%, only to abandon those plans as markets recoiled.
Xi has his own chokehold on the world economy because China is the top producer and processor of the rare earth minerals needed to make fighter jets, robots, electric vehicles and other high-tech products.
China had tightened export restrictions on Oct. 9, repeating a cycle in which each nation jockeys for an edge only to back down after more trade talks.
What might also matter is what happens directly after their talks. Trump plans to return to Washington, while Xi plans to stay on in South Korea to meet with regional leaders during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, which officially begins on Friday.
“Xi sees an opportunity to position China as a reliable partner and bolster bilateral and multilateral relations with countries frustrated by the U.S. administration’s tariff policy,” said Jay Truesdale, a former State Department official who is CEO of TD International, a risk and intelligence advisory firm.
-AFP
