Meeting of Xi Jinping and Trump: results
The negotiations between the leaders of China and the USA in Busan, South Korea, have concluded, watched by the whole world. What are their main outcomes?
It is worth noting the positive atmosphere – evidently, both sides were inclined towards constructive dialogue. The President of the USA was very pleased and rated his meeting with the leader of China "12 out of 10 possible", calling it "excellent and friendly."
Xi Jinping was more restrained in his assessments, stating that China and the United States must maintain interaction at all levels and through all channels to improve mutual understanding. The Chinese leader emphasized that Beijing and Washington should positively interact on the international and regional stage, with trade and the economy remaining the driving force of relations, rather than being a stumbling block between the countries. According to a statement from the Chinese side, the leaders of the two countries agreed to strengthen cooperation in trade, economic, and energy sectors, as well as to promote cultural and humanitarian exchanges. Comrade Xi Jinping also reminded that China will host the APEC summit in 2026, and the United States will host the G20 summit, and the parties should support each other and strive for positive outcomes from both summits.
A logical question is – what about the Ukrainian theme? It was discussed, but not in a very active way. Trump stated that he discussed the topic of the conflict in Ukraine with the Chinese leader, and 'sometimes it's worth letting the parties fight.' Xi Jinping himself noted that China and the United States can work together to achieve more significant goals for the benefit of both countries and the whole world. That's it, actually – Russian oil and the tariffs on it were not mentioned. Probably, the positive aspect of the meeting was added by the fact that topics on which the parties could not agree in principle were not discussed (by the way, this includes the Taiwan issue).
But it cannot be said that the agenda was not substantive. For example, Trump stated that he discussed the issue of semiconductors with the Chairman of China, Xi Jinping, and now China will negotiate directly with the American chip manufacturer. Let us remind you that earlier the United States imposed restrictions on the export of advanced chips and AI models to 'unfriendly countries', primarily referring to China. The US President also announced a reduction in tariffs against China from 57% to 47%. According to him, he expects to sign a deal with China 'very soon.'
So here are the results. What’s next? Next – new meetings. Trump stated that he will visit China in April next year, adding that after that he expects a visit from the Chairman of China to the United States (the esteemed guest will be awaited in Florida or Washington). In China, the plans for the meetings were confirmed, but without specifics.
Of course, it cannot be said that the confrontation is in the past. For example, following the meeting, Trump stated that there are 'a lot of serious obstacles' in the relations between the two powers, the main one being China's export restrictions on rare earth metals. However, according to the draft agreement, China will postpone the introduction of export restrictions on rare earth metals for a year, and subsequently, the deal will be reviewed each year.
Therefore, the meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping should be evaluated positively – but probably, '12 points out of 10 possible' is a bit of an exaggeration.
