Trump, Xi meet in person as US and China move to ease trade tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump returned to Washington on Thursday after a high-stakes face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, calling the talks “a success” and announcing new steps to ease trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

Trump said he would cut tariffs on Chinese goods, while Beijing agreed to lift restrictions on rare earth mineral exports and resume purchases of American soybeans, marking a potential thaw in a long-running trade dispute.

“I thought it was an amazing meeting,” Trump said. “President Xi is a great leader of a very powerful, strong country. It was an outstanding set of decisions.”

The Trump administration originally imposed tariffs to pressure China over the sale of chemicals used in making fentanyl, which has contributed to the opioid crisis in the United States. Beijing retaliated by tightening export controls on rare earth elements critical to global manufacturing, a move that also hurt European industries caught in the middle of the trade clash.

President Xi acknowledged ongoing differences, saying the U.S. and China do not always “see eye to eye,” but added that it was natural for major economies to have friction. He emphasized that both nations “can help each other succeed and prosper together.”

Trump said he plans to travel to China in April and has invited Xi to visit the United States later this year, signaling a renewed effort to stabilize the relationship.