(NewsNation) — President Trump said his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea will yield major results for the U.S. economy, including soybean purchases from American farmers and assurances from China that rare earth exports will not be restricted.
The U.S., in turn, will reduce tariffs on Chinese imports, and China promised to crack down on fentanyl ingredients that make their way to America, Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Thursday.
“I thought it was an amazing meeting,” he said. On a scale of zero to 10, Trump said, “I think it was a 12.”
In an indication that relations may be thawing between the two countries, Trump said he’ll be traveling to China in April, with Xi visiting the U.S. sometime thereafter.
The two leaders met to discuss trade in the South Korean city of Busan as economic tensions have been simmering between the U.S. and China.
In public remarks before their mostly private session, Xi said it felt “warm” to meet Trump again for their first sit-down since 2019 and noted the U.S. and China have maintained a “stable” relationship, despite their differences.
“We do not always see eye to eye with each other, and it is normal for the two leading economies of the world to have frictions now and then,” Xi added, through a translator.
For his part, Trump heaped praise upon Xi, calling him a “tough negotiator,” in what appeared to be a charm offensive. However, moments before the globally significant summit, the U.S. president posted on social media that the Pentagon would resume nuclear weapons testing on a scale comparable with China and Russia.
Observers saw that as a warning shot, metaphorically, as the U.S. and China got down to brass tacks.
Trump on Wednesday said he expected his meeting with Xi to last three to four hours. But the duration, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, was about one hour, 40 minutes. Both leaders shook hands in open view upon leaving but did not make public remarks at the conclusion.
Trump, following his meeting with Xi, said some topics, including Taiwan, did not come up.
Trump’s meeting with Xi comes at the conclusion of a multiday tour of Asia. The U.S. president has been touting a series of trade agreements with other nations in the region.
Reuters contributed to this report.