On a scale of zero to ten: “twelve.” That’s how US President Donald Trump rated his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at an air base in Busan, South Korea, on Thursday. The two leaders agreed to pull back some trade measures and work together on other pressing issues. After the meeting, Trump said that he agreed to cut tariffs on Chinese imports to the United States, while China agreed to increase purchases of US soybeans. Other issues discussed include trade measures on rare earths and computer chips, as well as US concerns over ownership of the social media platform TikTok. To see if a more positive US-China relationship has indeed gotten off the ground at Gimhae air base, or if we should expect turbulence ahead, Atlantic Council experts are lined up on the runway below with their insights.
Click to jump to an expert analysis:
Josh Lipsky: A trade truce, if they can keep it
Matthew Kroenig: This relationship will get worse before it gets better
Melanie Hart: Beijing is wielding the power of the calendar to its advantage
Jeremy Mark: China has the advantage as talks continue—and the US risks losing the leverage it has
Tressa Guenov: The US needs to up its game to counter Chinese espionage
Markus Garlauskas: With “Taiwan is Taiwan,” Trump dispels fears he will fold to Xi on Taiwan
Reed Blakemore: The G7 must be ready for China to try this export control tactic again
Kit Conklin: A floor for the US–China trade relationship—for now
Joseph Webster: Promises of an Alaska-to-China energy acceleration may be overblown
Dexter Tiff Roberts: Even the biggest victories from the meeting could prove hollow
