U.S. President Donald Trump agreed with President Xi Jinping to trim tariffs on China in exchange for Beijing cracking down on the illicit fentanyl trade, Trump said.
Trump’s face-to-face talks with Xi in the South Korean city of Busan, their first since 2019, marked the finale of a whirlwind Asia trip during which he also highlighted trade breakthroughs with South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asian nations.
“It was an amazing meeting,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One shortly after leaving South Korea, rating the talks a “12 out of 10.”
He said tariffs on Chinese imports would be cut to 47% from 57%, by halving to 10% the rate of tariffs related to trade in fentanyl precursor drugs.
Trump added that Xi will work “very hard to stop the flow” of fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that is the leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States.
China agreed to pause export controls unveiled this month on rare earths, elements essential for cars, planes, and weapons that have become Beijing’s most potent leverage in its trade war with the United States.
The two sides also reached consensus on expanding agricultural trade and agreed to work on issues surrounding the short video app TikTok, which Trump seeks to bring under U.S.-controlled ownership.
Muted response from global markets
The reaction to the detente was muted, with major Asian indexes and European futures swinging between gains and losses.
Ahead of the meeting, markets from Wall Street to Tokyo had hit records on hopes of a breakthrough in the trade war, which has disrupted supply chains and shaken global business confidence.
Meanwhile, China will begin purchasing U.S. energy, Trump said in a post on Truth Social, hinting at a major deal in Alaska linked to a proposed $44-billion LNG pipeline promoted by his administration.
The White House signaled it hopes the summit will be the first of several meetings between the leaders in the coming year.
Trump added that he plans to travel to China in April before receiving Xi in the United States.
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One crew member from a U.S. warplane shot down over Iran has been rescued, U.S. officials said, as a search continues for a second crew member.
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it has sent a mid-level delegation to China for formal talks with Pakistan, as both sides meet in Urumqi amid efforts by Beijing to ease tensions between the neighbours.
Iran has strongly condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to bomb the country “back to the Stone Age”, calling his remarks an example of “war crimes and genocide.”
Fears of wider escalation grow despite President Donald Trump saying U.S. strikes on Iran could end within weeks. Meanwhile missile attacks, tanker incidents and rising casualties across Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf heighten risks to regional stability and energy routes.
Four astronauts blasted off from Florida on Wednesday on NASA's Artemis II mission, a high-stakes voyage around the moon that marks the United States' boldest step yet toward returning humans to the lunar surface later this decade in a race with China.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck in Indonesia's Northern Molucca Sea on Thursday, killing one person, damaging some buildings and triggering tsunami waves, authorities and witnesses said.
President Donald Trump staunchly defended his handling of the month-old U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in a prime-time address on Wednesday, saying the U.S. military was nearing completion of its mission while also reinforcing his threats to bomb the Islamic Republic back to the Stone Age.
One U.S. crew member has been rescued after Iran downed a warplane, while the search continues for a second. At the same time, Iran has officially told mediators it will not meet U.S. officials in Islamabad in the coming days, calling U.S. demands unacceptable, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reshuffled his cabinet on Friday (3 April) in a bid to contain a growing scandal over the alleged fraudulent use of European Union farm subsidies.
One crew member from a U.S. warplane shot down over Iran has been rescued, U.S. officials said, as a search continues for a second crew member.
Across China, people are taking part in a wide range of activities to honour fallen heroes ahead of the Qingming Festival, a traditional time for remembrance and paying respect to the deceased.
France and South Korea have agreed to strengthen defence ties and energy security cooperation following a two-day visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Seoul.
In a highly unusual move highlighting shifting narcotics diplomacy, the U.S. has handed over a Chinese fugitive accused of serious drug crimes to authorities in Beijing.
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