"A big success, on a scale of 1 to 10, the meeting with Xi was 12". These are the words of Donald Trump after the long-awaited one-hour-and-forty-minute meeting with the Chinese president Xi Jinping, the first face-to-face meeting between the two since 2019. The leaders of the United States and China met after months of trade war which, with its tariffs and restrictions, has left the entire world breathless.
This time, however, things seem to have gone well and Trump and Xi were immortalised by photographers while they shook hands with smiles and pleasantries. An ending that was not at all predictable, considering that shortly before the meeting the number one of the White House had announced on Truth that he had ordered the Pentagon to resume nuclear tests immediately after more than 30 years, "as other countries do", primarily Russia and China.
The summit seals the agreement reached by the negotiators in recent days, although some details are missing. On the trade front, Trump announced the reduction of tariffs on Chinese goods from 55% to 45% and those related to fentanyl from 20% to 10%, in exchange for Xi's commitment to collaborate in stopping the trafficking of this narcotic which continues to claim victims in the US. The agreement on rare earths has also been approved, "Applicable worldwide," with Beijing continuing to maintain the flow of exports: it will last for one year and be renegotiated annually. The tycoon also satisfied one of his most important constituencies, American farmers, by announcing that US soybean purchases will begin "immediately." Trump also confirmed that he will go to China, in April, while Xi will return the visit later.
Trump's words: "We will work together on Ukraine."
After the meeting, there was no joint conference, but Trump immediately boarded Air Force One, which is taking him back to the United States.
On board the plane, the US president spoke to the journalists following him: “The meeting with Xi was fantastic. Many decisions have been made. Chinese soybean purchases will begin immediately. Xi will work to stop fentanyl trafficking,” he said, later announcing a reduction in tariffs on this type of product from 20 to 10 percent.The rare earth issue has been resolved“China’s export licensing regime would be suspended for one year.
Sulla war in Ukraine, the Commander in Chief then assured that the US and China will work together, while the delicate dossier Taiwan – he specified – was not discussed. Instead, the export of US chips to China, which the US had blocked, “but not the Blackwell artificial intelligence chip” (considered cutting-edge) produced by Nvidia.
Trump expressed regret at not being able to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un because he was "too busy," but said he might return. Shortly thereafter, on Truth, the US president also stated that China had agreed to begin the process of purchasing energy from the United States.
Xi to Trump: "The US and China must be partners and friends."
Xi Jinping, much more “calm” and silent than Trump, nevertheless praised the peace efforts of his US counterpart in Gaza and argued that The US and China must be "partners and friends", even if they "do not always see things the same way." Despite their differences, he suggested, the two leaders should "stay the right course and ensure the steady navigation of the giant ship of China-US relations."
“I always believe that China's development goes hand in hand with your vision of making America great again,” he added, confirming the desire to stabilize relations.
“The economic and trade teams of the two countries exchanged in-depth views on major economic and trade issues and reached a consensus on their resolution,” Xi Jinping said, quoted by the news agency. Xinhua. “The two teams should refine and finalize the follow-up work as soon as possible (…), reassuring the economies of China, the United States and the world.”
After the meeting, China's Ministry of Commerce confirmed that Beijing will suspend the implementation of its latest controls on rare earth exports, as well as special port taxes for US ships. The US also reports CNN, will suspend the specials for a year port taxes taxes on Chinese ships docking in American ports.
(Last updated: 11:02 a.m. Thursday, October 30).
