US-China Talks: Three Issues To Watch as Trump Meets Xi

[ad_1] U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled to satisfy along with his Chinese language counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday in Busan, South Korea, for a long-anticipated dialogue.

The summit—Trump’s first with Xi since starting his second time period in January—is ready to happen on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Financial Cooperation (APEC) discussion board and follows a weekend of commerce negotiations in Malaysia, with either side expressing optimism a couple of shared framework.

At a information convention on Monday, spokesperson Guo Jiakun declined to elaborate, saying solely that China would launch further info “in a well timed method.” Newsweek contacted the Chinese language Embassy in Washington, D.C., and the White Home for remark through electronic mail.

Under are three high-stakes points to observe carefully, with every carrying main implications for the worldwide financial system.

Commerce The U.S. is unlikely to proceed with the one hundred pc tariff hike on Chinese language items that Trump threatened earlier this month—what would have been the sharpest escalation since April within the present commerce conflict. The tariffs, which had been set to take impact on November 1, are actually “successfully off the desk,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mentioned on Sunday in an interview with CBS Information’ Face the Nation.

Trump had floated the tariff improve in response to new Chinese language export licensing guidelines introduced in Might that lined merchandise containing even hint quantities of uncommon earth components.

<img id="10949257" alt="" caption="President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a Chinese opera performance at the Forbidden City, Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017, in Beijing, China. Trump is on a five country trip through Asia traveling to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)" captionoverride="U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a Chinese opera performance at the Forbidden City on November 8, 2017, in Beijing. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)" credit="" sourcealt="" sources="[]" fetchpriority="auto" loading="lazy" width="5206" height="3471" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" src="color:transparent;aspect-ratio:inherit;object-fit:cover" sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 1536px, (min-width: 768px) 768px, 100vw" srcset="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP17312448902545.jpg?w=640&quality=75&webp=1 640w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP17312448902545.jpg?w=750&quality=75&webp=1 750w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP17312448902545.jpg?w=1000&quality=75&webp=1 1000w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP17312448902545.jpg?w=1200&quality=75&webp=1 1200w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP17312448902545.jpg?w=1360&quality=75&webp=1 1360w, https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP17312448902545.jpg?w=1600&quality=75&webp=1 1600w" bad-src="https://assets.newsweek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/AP17312448902545.jpg?w=1600&quality=75&webp=1"/> China controls over two-thirds of the world’s uncommon earths, a bunch of 17 minerals very important to producing applied sciences corresponding to electrical autos and missile steerage programs. Washington has raced in latest months to safe provide offers with companions, together with Australia and Canada, to cut back its dependency on Beijing.

It stays unclear whether or not China will postpone the restrictions, that are set to take impact in December, however Bessent mentioned he believes “progress is being made.”

Motion can be anticipated on U.S. soybean exports, the nation’s largest agricultural export. Gross sales to China, the world’s largest soybean importer, floor to a halt this 12 months amid retaliatory tariffs from Beijing. Analysts anticipate some resumption of Chinese language purchases, although not at pre-trade conflict ranges, as China continues to diversify imports from Brazil and Argentina to strengthen meals safety.

Bessent informed Face the Nation that American farmers could be “extraordinarily proud of this deal for this 12 months and for the approaching years.”

TikTok Washington and Beijing are additionally anticipated to finalize a TikTok settlement hammered out throughout September’s talks in Madrid, with Bessent saying “the small print are ironed out” and that solely Trump and Xi’s signatures stay.

The video-sharing app, with 170 million U.S. customers, has been on the middle of a nationwide safety debate amid bipartisan issues that its Chinese language mother or father firm, ByteDance, might share consumer knowledge—or algorithmic insights—with Beijing.

Underneath the present deal framework, an American consortium led by Oracle would take an 80 % stake in TikTok’s U.S. operations, with ByteDance retaining 20 %. Critics warn that except ByteDance totally relinquishes management of the algorithm, Individuals might nonetheless be uncovered to potential affect by the Chinese language Communist Social gathering.

Taiwan Earlier than departing for Asia, Trump informed reporters that Taiwan could be a key subject in his assembly with Xi.

China claims sovereignty over the self-governing island and has not dominated out using power to realize unification. Xi has known as Taiwan a “pink line” and has intensified strain via large-scale navy drills and near-daily warplane sorties throughout the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

The U.S. has lengthy maintained a coverage of “strategic ambiguity,” offering arms and political help to Taipei with out explicitly committing to its protection.

Trump has confronted criticism from pro-Taiwan lawmakers for feedback suggesting the island ought to pay “safety cash” and for blocking $400 million in navy help this summer season. He additionally drew backlash for allegedly denying Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te a stopover in New York throughout his Latin American tour.

U.S. Protection Secretary Marco Rubio, touring with Trump in Japan, downplayed these fears. He informed reporters, “I don’t assume you’re going to see some commerce deal the place … we’re going to get favorable therapy on commerce in trade for strolling away from Taiwan.”