U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to open what they described as “a new chapter of partnership and trust” following high-level talks in Busan, South Korea. The two leaders met on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, their first encounter since June 2019, when they met at the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan. The meeting, which lasted nearly two hours, focused on trade, tariffs, technology, rare earth minerals, Fentanyl trafficking, and regional security in Asia. President Trump said the talks went “better than I e

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to open what they described as “a new chapter of partnership and trust” following high-level talks in Busan, South Korea. The two leaders met on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, their first encounter since June 2019, when they met at the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan. The meeting, which lasted nearly two hours, focused on trade, tariffs, technology, rare earth minerals, Fentanyl trafficking, and regional security in Asia. President Trump said the talks went “better than I expected.” “It was a 12 out of 10,” he told reporters. “President Xi is a strong and intelligent leader. We are rebuilding something special between our countries.” Both sides agreed on steps to ease trade tensions. Trump announced that the United States would reduce tariffs on Chinese imports from 57% to 47%. China pledged to resume purchases of American soybeans and energy products and to continue exporting rare earth minerals, which are critical to global technology industries. Addressing the issue of Fentanyl, a synthetic drug the U.S. has long accused China of enabling, Xi said Beijing would tighten control over precursor chemicals and strengthen cooperation with U.S. law enforcement agencies. Trump welcomed the move, saying it would “help save thousands of American lives.” On technology, Xi called for collaboration instead of confrontation. “Science and technology should build bridges between people, not barriers between nations,” he said. Trump added, “We support fair and honest competition.” Both leaders also pledged to maintain stability in the Taiwan Strait and on the Korean Peninsula. Xi said Asia “should be a region of peace and cooperation, not war and division,” while Trump reaffirmed that the United States “will remain a partner in building lasting peace in the region.” Concluding the talks, Xi said, “No global challenge is too great when two major powers like ours move in the same direction.” The Busan meeting was the first between Trump and Xi since Trump returned to office, and analysts say it could mark the beginning of a new phase in U.S. -China relations, with renewed cooperation in both economic and security matters. Both leaders confirmed that President Trump will visit Beijing in early 2026.

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