China and the US seem to have smoothed over differences and lowered the during the meeting that its presidents, Xi Jinping y Donald Trumprespectively, have been kept at the Gimhae air base, in the South Korean city of Busan. In it they have brought together positions on different issues, from tariffs to the war in Ukraine.
two weeks ago, with his Chinese counterpart claiming that he saw no reason to talk to him and threatened to impose a “massive increase” in tariffs for your products. However, the tension eased slightly this Monday, October 27, with the order to avoid the imposition of additional 100% tariffs on Chinese products.
And, this Thursday, both nations have taken a new and relevant step to bring positions closer together with a meeting that Trump has described as “incredible”. “He is a great leader and the leader of a very powerful and strong country: China,” he said aboard Air Force One returning to Washington, underlining the conciliatory tone of his meeting with the Chinese leader, the first since the G20 in Osaka in 2019.
United against fentanyl
Among the most notable advances is the reduction from 20% to 10% of the tariffs that the Trump administration imposed on the Asian giant in retaliation for the .
The Republican president has assured that Jinping Xi has committed to collaborating to stop the flow to the US of this synthetic opioid whose production, Washington claims, depends on chemical precursors from China and used by Mexican cartels.
“We agreed that he will work very hard to stop the flow. “He’s going to work very hard on the precursors, and I think we’re going to see real action,” Trump insisted. With this reduction, total tariffs on Chinese products will drop from 57% to 47%, a figure that, according to the White House, seeks to “open a new stage of strategic cooperation” with Beijing.
Agricultural relief and end to rare earth restrictions
Another of the most surprising announcements has been the “end of restrictions on”a set of minerals essential for the manufacture of electronic components, batteries and high-precision weapons. “The whole issue of rare earths has been solved (…) There are no more restrictions on rare earths,” Trump assured.
China controls more than 70% of world production y almost 90% of the processing of these materialswhich has generated concern in the West about its ability to dominate the technological supply chain.
The American leader has also announced a long-awaited relief for your country’s agricultural sector. “Large, huge amounts of military They will be purchased immediately. President Xi authorized it yesterday, and I appreciate it very much,” he stated, alluding to the lifting the suspension of imports of US soybeansin force since last May as a consequence of the trade war.
Another topic on the table has been chip sale of the to China, although, according to Trump, “still no agreement has been finalized about it.” The technology industry remains one of the most delicate points of the relationship between both powers, especially after the restrictions imposed by Washington on the export of advanced semiconductors.
Cooperation to end the war in Ukraine
On the other hand, Trump has revealed that Washington and Beijing “will work together” to end the . “Ukraine was a very important issue, we talked about it for a long time. We are both going to work together,” he said.
The Republican has acknowledged that Xi” has been buying oil from Russia for a long time,” but still trusts that the Chinese leader will participate in diplomatic efforts to stop the conflict: “It’s going to help us and we are going to work together on Ukraine.”
For his part, Xi stated at the beginning of the meeting that China “has also been helping to promote peace talks to resolve other crises”, alluding to Beijing’s attempts to present itself as a global mediator, although its ties with Moscow generate suspicion in the West.
The issue of Ukraine, according to sources close to the meeting, occupied a good part of the discussions, while other sensitive issues, such as Taiwanwere left out of the conversation. “The topic of Taiwan never came up. We didn’t discuss it, in fact,” Trump admitted. Days before, he had announced that he would not address the issue of the island, self-governed and claimed by Beijing, because “there’s not much to talk about”.
