Copyright timesnownews
United States President Donald Trump described his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as "12/10", saying that it was a roaring success, as he announced that he would cut tariffs on China. However, there were three issues that went untouched during the 100-minute-long meeting between Trump and Xi. Trump Meets Xi In South Korea, Announces Tariff Cut Trump, after meeting Xi Jinping in South Korea's Busan, said that he would cut tariffs on China, while Beijing had agreed to allow the export of rare earth elements and start buying American soybeans. Trump said he could sign a trade deal with China "pretty soon." The US President told reporters aboard Air Force One that the US would lower tariffs implemented earlier this year as punishment on China for its selling of chemicals used to make fentanyl from 20 per cent to 10 per cent. That brings the total combined tariff rate on China down from 57 per cent to 47 per cent. Trump said that he would go to China in April and Xi would come to the US "some time after that." The president said they also discussed the export of more advanced computer chips to China, saying that Nvidia would be in talks with Chinese officials. Three Hot Topics That Trump and Xi Skipped While the two leaders held a 100-minute-long meeting, they skipped several topics that probably needed attention. Although Trump had claimed that he would speak regarding the Taiwan issue during his meeting with Xi, the two leaders skipped discussing the topic. When asked if concerns over Beijing's growing assertiveness over Taiwan was raised during the meeting, Trump said that it "didn't come up." Earlier, Trump had said that he "won't travel" to Taiwan, but "will talk about it" during his meeting with Xi. "...We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us. I think we'll have a good meeting. I will be talking about Taiwan. I won't go there, but I will be talking about it. Lot of respect for Taiwan...," Trump said before his meeting with the Chinese leader. The other two topics that didn't find a place in the conversation were - China's Russian oil imports and Blackwell chips. Trump had threatened Beijing with tariffs over its Russian oil purchase, saying that it was "funding the Russian oil machinery". Trump had also claimed that he would talk to Xi about Blackwell chips; however, according to reports, the two leaders didn't speak on he matter. Sales of the U.S. firm's high-end AI chips to China, which accounted for 13% of its revenue in the past financial year, have been a key sticking point in protracted trade talks between the world's two largest economies this year. Beijing has long been irked by Washington's export controls that ban Nvidia from selling its most advanced AI chips to China. The U.S. has justified these restrictions by alleging the Chinese military would use the chips to increase its capabilities.
