Washington [US], November 2 (ANI): United States President Donald Trump on Sunday described his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping as “a great one,” expressing optimism that it would bring lasting peace and prosperity to both nations.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote, “My G2 meeting with President Xi of China was a great one for both of our countries. This meeting will lead to everlasting peace and success. God bless both China and the USA!”
The US President met Chinese President Xi on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in Busan, South Korea, on October 30. Following the much-anticipated meeting, Trump announced that Washington had reached a landmark one-year trade pact with China, reducing US tariffs on Chinese imports from 57 percent to 47 percent.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “We have a deal,” referring to the trade pact, which he noted would be routinely extended. “Every year we’ll renegotiate the deal, but I think it will go on for a long time, long beyond the year. We’ll negotiate at the end of the year,” he added.
Trump explained that the 10 percent tariff reduction on Chinese exports to the US came in response to Beijing’s agreement to take “strong action” against the fentanyl crisis. “It was 57, now it’s 47,” Trump said. “We reduced it because I believe they are really taking strong action. We’ve already seen action on fentanyl, and they’re taking very strong action—so reduced by 10 percent,” he added.
Later, while speaking to reporters, Trump announced that China had committed to immediately purchasing “large and tremendous amounts” of soybeans and other US agricultural products as part of the trade deal.
During a conversation with reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Washington, Trump hailed the decision as a “very nice gesture” from President Xi, noting that his Chinese counterpart had authorized the purchases a day earlier.
“We’re in agreement on so many elements. Large amounts—tremendous amounts—of soybeans and other farm products are going to be purchased, starting immediately. If you notice, President Xi authorized yesterday for China to start buying very large quantities of soybeans and other things, which I appreciated. That was a very nice gesture,” Trump said.
According to CNN, China halted its purchases of US soybeans in May following Trump’s announcement of tariffs, leaving American farmers with billions of dollars’ worth of unsold crops and prompting many to question the policies of a president they had long supported. (ANI)
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