The Debate - A Truce on Whose Terms? Trump Hails Pause in Trade War with China
The agreement includes tariff reductions from about 55% to 45% on many Chinese goods and a pause on rare earth metal export restrictions, easing tensions between the U.S. and China.
- On Thursday, President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping at an airport in Busan for about 90 minutes and agreed to a one-year truce rolling back many tariffs, including immediate cuts to around 45% from about 55%.
- September 2025, tensions increased after China’s rare earth restrictions and the Commerce Department expanded regulations starting Sept. 29, with Trump threatening a 100% tariff.
- Regarding agriculture, China agreed to resume large purchases of American soybeans, with China saying it will buy 12 million tons from now to January and 25 million annually, according to Chinese officials.
- As an immediate outcome, both sides stood down from new punitive measures for a year, with China suspending rare earth supply measures and the U.S. postponing fees on Chinese-built ships while China agreed to stand down on retaliatory fees.
- Looking ahead, follow-up talks are planned while key tech and platform issues remain to be finalized, with Trump and Xi agreeing to meet again next year and Trump’s planned April visit to China.
18 Articles
18 Articles
Treat or trick? Why Trump won the trade truce but may yet lose the war
The US president has effectively wielded tariffs as a weapon to beat other countries into advantageous deals. But Beijing has shown it can - and will - fight back.
One day after US President Donald Trump returned to Washington after sealing a one-year trade truce with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), which brought together both leaders in South Korea, has been partially decaf. In the absence of the US tycoon, the vacuum has been filled by the Chinese president. And on the inaugural day of the summit, this Friday, Xi has turned his openin…
Trump and Xi, hoping to ease trade war, agree to 1-year truce
After a series of failed attempts to de-escalate an acrimonious trade war, President Donald Trump and China’s leader, Xi Jinping, agreed to a yearlong truce that rolls back many of the contentious tariffs and retaliatory measures that deepened the feud between the world’s two biggest economies.
Donald Trump calls trade talks with Xi Jinping ‘amazing’, signalling potential progress in US-China relations
US president Donald Trump said he had an “amazing” meeting yesterday with China’s president Xi Jinping that produced very important decisions. The first official Chinese comments on the meeting were less specific and suggested a trade deal is not done.
October 30, 2025 - PBS News Hour full episode
Thursday on the News Hour, President Trump and Chinese President Xi outline a deal to ease the trade war, but tensions between the two nations remain. The Caribbean begins the long, arduous road to recovery in the wake of Hurricane Melissa. Plus, musician Ben Folds talks politics and his decision to resign as an advisor at the Kennedy Center after President Trump's takeover. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders. …
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