In a landmark meeting, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump held talks in Busan, South Korea. The face-to-face was their first in six years. It was seen as a crucial moment to reset the volatile relationship between the world’s two largest economies and rival superpowers.
The talks took place at Gimhae Air Base, near an international summit. Both leaders offered surprisingly warm remarks at the start.
President Trump was complimentary towards his counterpart, calling Xi the “great leader of a great country.” He predicted a “fantastic relationship for a long period of time” between them.
President Xi expressed his “great pleasure” at seeing Trump after many years. He acknowledged the tensions but stressed the need for cooperation.
“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,” said Xi.
Xi insisted that he and Trump, “at the helm of China-US relations should stay the right course,” suggesting the two nations could “prosper together.”
The US President announced the end of a more than three-decade moratorium on US nuclear testing.
He stated that the US “has more Nuclear weapons than any other country.” He named Russia as second, with China as “a distant third, but will be even within 5 years.”
Trump then posted his instruction to the Department of War: “Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear weapons on an equal basis and that process will begin immediately.”
One hour and forty minutes later, the bilateral talks concluded. The two leaders shook hands for the cameras.
President Trump then immediately boarded Air Force One, ending his five-day Asian tour without speaking to the media.
The crucial issues discussed included: Trade tariffs and a gaping trade imbalance, China’s sweeping export controls on rare earths, US restrictions on China’s access to American high-tech, such as advanced semiconductors for AI, China’s role in the illicit fentanyl trade and China’s purchases of American soybeans.
They also discussed the future of the Chinese-owned social media app, TikTok, in the US, the war in Ukraine and the status of Taiwan.
Both sides viewed this leader-level meeting as essential to stabilising ties.
Despite the pre-meeting friction, an earlier trade negotiation in Kuala Lumpur had ended on an optimistic note. Officials worked hard to ensure the Busan meeting happened, shifting the schedule to hold the talks as Trump departed.
By Erastus Omondi
