Xi & Trump have '12 out of 10' meeting ahead of APEC Summit

The Presidents of China and the United States, Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, met in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30, just before the start of the annual APEC Summit.

The pair have met to finalise talks on a range of issues, the most pertinent of which being a new trade agreement for the two superpowers after having spent much of the past ten months effectively in a trade war.

The pair met for a one-hour and 40-minute-long meeting, and were seen shaking hands as they left the negotiations building.

Xi reportedly was driven away in his limousine, while Trump has boarded Air Force One, his presidential aircraft, where he has been speaking to the press.

No more roadblock

Trump told the press that he believed that the issue of rare earth minerals was "settled", not just for the U.S., but "for the world".

The BBC quoted Trump as saying "there's no roadblock from China anymore". China previously announced major restrictions on the exports of rare earths, which prompted Trump to announce steeper tariffs on other Chinese exports.

However, Trump said that he and Xi had agreed to work together on a number of issues, including discussions with major chipmaker Nvidia, and the war in Ukraine.

He even said that he would visit China in April, with Xi making a reciprocal visit "sometime after that."

He rated the meeting "12 out of 10".

Great honour

This is the first time the pair have met since Trump was re-elected, although they had previously met in 2019, at that year's G20 gathering.

The last time Xi met an American president was when he met Joe Biden in San Francisco in 2023, also at an APEC summit.

Trump, when the pair first gathered before the press, said it was a “great honour” to be with Xi, who he called a “friend of mine”, “for a long time”.

He alluded to the fact that there had been ongoing discussions for several months, which intensified over the past week.

Xi spoke through a translator, saying it was a “great pleasure” to meet him again.

Saying that the two countries did not always see eye to eye, Xi said that China’s development, however, went “hand-in-hand with your vision to make America great again”.

“Our two countries are fully able to help each other succeed and prosper together.”

Constructive exchange

Earlier in the week, on the sidelines of the 47th Asean Summit, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with his counterpart from China, Li Chenggang.

Bessent later told U.S. media that the deal would remove the threat of 100 per cent tariffs on imports from being imposed on China, and might see the finalisation of the long-awaited sale of TikTok, as reported by the Guardian.

Li, for his part, called the U.S. position “tough” and said that the two sides had “experienced very intense consultations and engaged in constructive exchanges”.

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Top image via AFP