U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first face-to-face meeting in six years on Thursday, 30 October 2025, in the South Korean port city of Busan, aiming to ease tensions and restore stability between the world’s two largest economies. The high-stakes encounter took place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, marking a pivotal moment in efforts to recalibrate relations strained by years of trade disputes and strategic rivalry.
The talks, lasting nearly two hours, focused on tariffs, technology restrictions, rare earth exports, and regional security issues. Both leaders signaled cautious optimism, with Trump describing the discussions as “very successful” and Xi emphasizing that China and the United States must “jointly shoulder their responsibilities as major powers.”
The meeting comes against a backdrop of escalating economic pressure. Since returning to office, Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on Chinese imports to 100%, while Beijing has tightened controls on rare earth exports critical to U.S. industries. Analysts say the Busan summit was driven by mutual recognition that prolonged confrontation risks destabilizing global markets and undermining growth.
While no comprehensive deal was announced, officials confirmed that the two sides agreed to reduce U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods from 57% to 47%, in exchange for Beijing resuming large-scale purchases of American soybeans and maintaining rare earth supplies. Trump also announced plans to visit China in April 2026, with Xi expected to make a reciprocal trip to Washington later in the year.
Beyond trade, the leaders discussed fentanyl trafficking, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and tensions in the Taiwan Strait, though sources indicated that significant differences remain. Observers described the outcome as a short-term truce rather than a breakthrough, with structural disputes over technology, security, and global influence still unresolved.
The Busan summit nonetheless represents the most substantive engagement between Washington and Beijing since 2019, offering a tentative step toward stabilizing relations. Whether the commitments made will hold amid domestic political pressures and geopolitical rivalries remains uncertain.
President Trump and Xi Picture from FMT
Sources: Yahoo News, France24, Asia Business Daily, Al Jazeera.
