BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA—US President Donald Trump concluded a critical summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea, signaling a major breakthrough by stating the two economic giants had reached an agreement on “almost everything.”
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The high-stakes meeting, held on the sidelines of the APEC summit, saw reported progress on key flashpoints:
- Trade & Tariffs: Trump announced that he would reduce fentanyl-related tariffs on China to 10% in exchange for China’s commitment to control the flow of the deadly opioid’s precursor chemicals into the US.
- Rare Earths: The US President confirmed that a deal on the contentious issue of rare earths—critical for high-tech manufacturing—had been settled.
- Future Relations: Looking ahead, President Trump also announced plans to visit Beijing in April.
The Chinese delegation, however, offered no immediate details on the substance of the talks, with President Xi Jinping remaining in South Korea to attend the main APEC leaders’ summit in Gyeongju.
Nuclear Stance: Before the meeting, President Trump added a layer of geopolitical tension by announcing he had directed the Department of Defense to “immediately” begin testing US nuclear weapons on an “equal basis,” in response to advanced weapons testing by rival nations like China and Russia.
