By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on Thursday in Busan, South Korea, for a bilateral meeting ahead of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, marked their first in-person interaction since Trump took over the White House.
Both leaders greeted each other with a handshake on a red carpet lined with the US and China flags, before their discussions largely focused on trade and economic relations.
Trump described Xi as a “very tough negotiator,” indicated that their dialogue would centre on long-standing economic disputes.
The meeting took place a day before the 2025 APEC Summit, which is set to be held in Gyeongju from October 31 to November 1.
Global attention has been on whether Washington and Beijing can ease tensions that have strained bilateral ties in recent months.
The officials from both countries said the talks provided an opportunity to stabilize relations amid ongoing trade friction.
Trump’s tariff measures and China’s restrictions on rare earth exports have contributed to global economic uncertainty, prompting both sides to seek common ground.
US officials indicated that Trump was unlikely to move forward with his earlier warning to impose a 100 per cent import tax on Chinese goods.
Beijing reportedly showed readiness to relax restrictions on rare earth exports and resume soybean imports from the United States.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he was considering reducing tariffs linked to China’s role in fentanyl production.
“I expect to be lowering that because I believe that they’re going to help us with the fentanyl situation,” he said.
He added “The relationship with China is very good.”
Trump posted on Truth Social, referred to the meeting as the “G2,” highlighted the economic strength of the US and China relative to other blocs such as the G7 and G20.
“On the morning of October 30 local time, President Xi Jinping arrived in South Korea by special plane to attend the 32nd APEC informal leaders’ meeting and pay a state visit to South Korea at the invitation of President Lee Jae Myung,” media reported.
Trump announced that he had instructed the Department of War to resume testing of America’s nuclear weapons just hours before his meeting with Xi.
He wrote in a social media post, “The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country. This was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my First Term in office. Because of the tremendous destructive power, I HATED to do it, but had no choice! Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years. Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.”
He said that the process will begin immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The announcement came shortly before his high-stakes bilateral meeting with Xi in Busan, where trade tensions and regional security concerns were expected to dominate discussions.
