What we covered here
• Top-level talks: Donald Trump is heading back to the US after a landmark meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, with the US president saying they came to an agreement on “almost everything.” According to Trump, overall tariffs on Chinese goods would drop by 10%, due to progress on soybean imports, rare earths and fentanyl issues during the Xi talks. He also plans to visit Beijing in April.
• Tensions ease: China said it will make “corresponding adjustments” to its trade war countermeasures, including pausing its new curbs on rare earth exports for one year. The moves represent a reprieve in the escalating tariff war between the world’s two largest economies.
• Nuclear tests: Before the meeting in the southern city of Busan, Trump announced that he instructed the Department of Defense to “immediately” begin testing nuclear weapons on an “equal basis,” in apparent response to advanced weapons testing by rival countries, including China and Russia.
Our coverage of President Donald Trump’s trip to Asia has ended. Catch up on his meeting with Xi here and follow the latest updates on Trump’s administration here.
Trump's Asia trip involved high-stakes meetings, trade agreements and gilded gifts. Watch the biggest moments
President Donald Trump is traveling back to the US after a whirlwind three-country tour of Asia, capped by a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea.
CNN’s Betsy Klein breaks down the trip here:
Trump’s five-day, three-stop Asia trip brought him red carpet welcomes, gilded gifts, and the opportunity to cast himself as a dealmaker — and peacemaker.
Trump says Xi summit saw progress on "almost everything." Catch up with the key points here
Earlier this morning, US President Donald Trump met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea – their first face-to-face meeting of Trump’s second term.
Trump later indicated the two came to an agreement on “almost everything” – as he wrapped up his three-stop tour of Asia.
Here’s what came out of the meeting:
- Tariff rates: Speaking aboard Air Force One following his meeting with Xi, Trump said the US has lowed the overall tariff rate on Chinese goods from 57% to 47%, after seeing progress with China on soybean imports, rare earths and fentanyl.
- Rare earth exports: After the summit, China’s Commerce Ministry confirmed Beijing will suspend the implementation of its latest rare earth export controls, as well as special port fees targeting US ships. Beijing had drastically tightened its export restrictions on rare earths earlier this month. Meanwhile the US will also pause for a year its special port fees targeting Chinese ships docking at American harbors. China has a near monopoly on the global supply and production of the critical resources.
- Soybeans: Trump said he and Xi are “in agreement on so many elements, large amounts, tremendous amounts of the soybeans and other farm products are going to be purchased immediately, starting immediately.” Trump’s tariffs prompted China to stop buying US soybeans in May, leaving farmers across the country sitting on billions in unsold crops.
- Upcoming visit: Trump said he will visit China in April, and Xi would visit the US some time after that. “I’ll be going to China in April, and he’ll be coming here sometime after that, whether it’s in Florida, Palm Beach or Washington, DC,” he told reporters.
Asian leaders lavished Trump with golden gifts. It may have paid off.
Asian leaders put on a masterclass in hospitality and flattery as they hosted US President Donald Trump this week, with one eye on securing vital trade deals to boost economic growth.
During his whistle-stop tour of Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, Trump was lavished with praise and showered with gifts including a golf putter and bag, a replica of a historical golden crown and South Korea’s highest civilian honor – as leaders sought to smooth complicated bilateral discussions.
It was a tactic that appears to have worked.
Trump departed Asia on Friday, leaving behind some happy hosts, including Japan, which signed trade and minerals deals, and South Korea, which received US approval for a long-held wish to build a nuclear-powered submarine.
In Malaysia: The president kicked off his Asia tour in Malaysia with an impromptu dance on the red carpet to a crowd of onlookers waving and dancing. The serious business of signing the Thailand-Cambodia peace agreement also took on a lighter mood as Southeast Asian leaders used the moment to heap praise on Trump, with some gentle ribbing.
In Japan: Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, just days into the role, played into Trump’s personal friendship with her predecessor and mentor the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Japan’s gift to Trump included Abe’s putter and a gold-leafed golf ball, as well as a golf bag signed by Japanese golfing hero Hideki Matsuyama.
The two leaders dined on American beef and rice — a possible gesture to win favor with Trump in a country where rice is part of the national identity. Takaichi topped the visit by saying she had nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.
In South Korea: Upon arrival, Trump was greeted by a military band playing “YMCA,” the Village People classic that’s become a rallying cry of sorts for the president and his political movement.
President Lee Jae Myung, who wore a custom-made gold tie, gifted Trump a replica of a historic golden crown. And Trump became the first US president to be awarded the grand order of Mugunghwa, South Korea’s highest civilian honor.
Further appealing to the president’s love of gold, that afternoon Trump was treated to a “gold-themed dessert” during his working lunch with Lee, consisting of gold-adorned brownies and tangerines.
Economies dampened: Trump’s tariff offensive this year has roiled Washington’s relations with countries worldwide, including longtime US allies Japan and South Korea. Adding to the strain are the massive investment pledges — $550 billion from Tokyo and $350 billion from Seoul — agreed upon to help secure the tariff reduction.
The leaders of those countries sought to get Trump onside — and ease trade negotiations in the process — with careful flattery, the cultivation of personal friendships and presents of gold.
CNN’s Betsy Klein, Simone McCarthy, John Liu, Deva Lee, Yoonjung Seo, Hanako Montgomery, Samantha Waldenberg and Gawon Bae, contributed reporting.
China hopes US will uphold treaty obligations, as Trump orders new nuclear tests
China has said it hopes the United States will “earnestly” uphold its obligations under the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty, following the US president’s announcement that America will “immediately” begin testing nuclear weapons.
“We are aware of the related reports. I want stress that China’s nuclear policy is consistent and clear,” said Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense, at a press briefing.
President Donald Trump said he has instructed the Pentagon to start testing nuclear weapons after a 30-year moratorium, saying China and Russia - the. world’s other major nuclear powers - could catch up with the US within five years.
Of the three nations, China was the last to test a nuclear weapon since China, in 1996. Russia’s last nuclear test was in 1990, and the US last exploded a nuclear device in 1992.
China’s official nuclear policy states that it will not use nuclear weapons unless first attacked, and that its nuclear forces are kept at “the minimum level required for national security.”
China confirms suspension of its latest rare earth export restrictions and port fees
China’s Commerce Ministry has confirmed Beijing will suspend the implementation of its latest rare earth export controls, as well as special port fees targeting US ships, following the meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Beijing drastically tightened its export restrictions on rare earths earlier this month, after Washington expanded its export control entity list to include subsidiaries that are 50% or more owned by already restricted firms.
A spokesperson for the ministry said in a statement the US had agreed to a suspension of its new rules targeting subsidiaries for a year, and in return, China will halt its new curbs on critical mineral exports for the same period.
The US will also pause for a year its special port fees targeting Chinese ships docking at American harbors, the spokesperson said. China will similarly follow suit in suspending its countermeasures imposed on US ships for a year.
Beijing has repeatedly voiced opposition since Washington unveiled plans to charge Chinese ships to dock at American ports, which went into effect this month.
China to make "corresponding adjustments" after US lowers tariffs
China’s commerce ministry says the country will make “corresponding adjustments,” after the US lowered tariffs on Chinese goods on Thursday.
US President Donald Trump said overall tariffs on Chinese goods would drop from 57% to 47%, after the sides made progress on soybean imports, rare earths and fentanyl issues during his meeting with China’s leader Xi Jinping. The 10% reduction was tied to China taking “strong action” on fentanyl.
The moves represent a reprieve in the escalating tariff war between the world’s two largest economies, which has seen a series tit-for-tat actions.
Some context: In February and March, the US imposed a total 20% tariff on Chinese goods, demanding China take action on the flow of the powerful opioid fentanyl into the United States. China has long rejected Trump’s rationale for imposing the punitive tariffs, insisting it has gone above and beyond when it comes to fulfilling its international obligations on narcotics control.
China say it will "properly address" TikTok issues
China’s Commerce Ministry has released fresh details about the trade discussions between Washington and Beijing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia over the weekend, including over TikTok.
It remains unclear whether Trump and Xi reached a deal to keep TikTok operating in the United States.
The immensely popular short-video app has become a key factor in broader trade negotiations between the world’s two biggest economies this year. Under a US law signed last year by former President Joe Biden, TikTok’s China-based owner ByteDance must divest its US assets due to national security concerns.
Following trade discussions in Malaysia, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the two sides had reached a “final deal on TikTok.”
“As of today, all the details are ironed out, and that will be for the two leaders to consummate that transaction,” Bessent told CBS Sunday.
Xi-Trump talks showed that China won't be "bullied," expert says
China showed it “wasn’t going to be bullied” during trade talks between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, said Jayant Menon, a visiting senior fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
“And it’s worked,” he added. “We’ve seen President Trump actually pause tariffs, bring in exemptions, change rates, without China doing very much except to respond in a very measured way each time there was some change in the US position.”
China could afford to “hold its own” against the US because, “unlike many other smaller trading partners, they are mutually dependent,” Menon said. “China is very important to the US.”
China says it has reached a consensus with the US
China and the United States have “reached a consensus” on “important economic and trade issues” following the meeting between its leader Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump, according to a readout by Beijing’s Foreign Ministry.
The initial statement released by China after the talks offered no details about the agreement.
“Both teams should refine and finalize follow-up work as soon as possible, uphold and implement the consensus, and deliver tangible results to reassure both China and the US, as well as the world economy,” Xi said, as cited in the readout.
The Chinese leader also pointed to the recent “twists and turns” in the countries’ bilateral relations, saying that they offer lessons for both sides, urging the US to “focus on the long-term benefits of cooperation rather than falling into a vicious cycle of retaliation,” in an echo of recent Chinese statements.
“Both teams can continue talks in the spirit of equality, mutual respect, and reciprocity — narrowing the list of disputes while expanding the list of cooperation,” he said.
Xi also took the opportunity to tout the “strong” performance of China’s economy, which achieved 5.2% growth in the first three quarters of the year, compared with the same period last year.
“These achievements were hard-won despite internal and external challenges,” he said, making a pointed message to his counterpart. “We have the confidence and capability to handle all kinds of risks and challenges.”
The readout added that Trump looks forward to visiting China early next year and invited Xi to visit the United States. Trump said after leaving the meeting that he would visit Beijing in April.
Tariff rate for Chinese goods dropped to 47%, Trump says
The United States has lowered the overall tariff rate on Chinese goods to 47%, President Trump said on Thursday, after making progress with China on soybean imports, rare earths and fentanyl.
“We reduced it … We’ve already seen the action on fentanyl, and they’re taking very strong action. So reduced to 10%,” Trump said, speaking aboard Air Force One after meeting China’s leader Xi Jinping in South Korea.
Trump added that the reduction would take effect immediately, meaning the overall tariff rate for Chinese exports to the US would drop from 57% to 47%.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who was with Trump as he spoke to reporters, said some specific products would still incur higher tariff rates. “For some individual products, it may go up to 100%. But as a general matter, it’s about 45, 47%,” Greer said.
The global economy has for months been roiled by tit-for-tat mounting tariffs, export controls and other penalties, as the US and China have vacillated between escalation and negotiation in their trade war.
Trump returns to confront deepening duel of pain as shutdown drags on
President Donald Trump had his fun, with red-carpet welcomes, impromptu dances, the gift of a golden crown and a yet another Nobel Peace Prize nomination.
But the trophies from his Asia tour won’t count for much when he arrives home Thursday just as the monthlong government shutdown takes its bitterest turn yet amid the worst domestic political crisis of his second term.
His return and a confluence of suddenly harsher consequences for millions of Americans mean the next few days may represent the only way out of the increasingly damaging impasse before the run-up to Thanksgiving.
Read more about this here.
Trump says chip sales are between China and Nvidia
There appears to be no major change to Washington’s technology export controls, with US President Donald Trump saying further discussions will take place between Beijing and chipmaking giant Nvidia following his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
“We did discuss chips, and… they’re going to be talking to Nvidia and others about taking chips,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One after he wrapped up his Asia tour, saying the White House is merely an “arbitrator” or “referee.”
“We’re not talking about the Blackwell,” he said, but he added that “a lot of chips” could be involved. Blackwell is a cutting-edge artificial intelligence processor created by Nvidia, the world’s largest AI chip designer and the world’s most valuable company. It was not immediately clear what specific types of chips, if not Blackwell, would be cleared for export to China.
Concerns that Trump may allow the export of Nvidia’s state-of-the-art chips emerged ahead of his meeting with Xi, worrying many former White House officials and US senators.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer echoed Trump’s comments, saying that Nvidia will talk to China to “see what’s possible” for them to sell, with “a lot of advanced chips” being sent to China already.
But he appeared to contradict Trump’s Blackwell comment, saying those chips were part of the discussion, without elaborating how the chips feature in the negotiations.
Nvidia and another major AI chipmaker AMD this summer agreed to pay the US government 15% of their revenues from semiconductor sales to China, in exchange for licenses to export their technology there. That deal unblocked the export of certain AI chips to China, including Nvidia’s H20, chips made specifically for the country, and AMD’s MI308.
Beijing gave a lukewarm response to that move involving less powerful chips, as it wants to spur its own chipmakers to match American capabilities, rather than rely on imports. Nvidia said it has not exported any H20 chips since. Chinese regulators also have an ongoing antitrust probe against Nvidia, dating to late last year.
Japan says it will continue to work toward "a world without nuclear weapons" after Trump announcement
US ally Japan has said it will continue to work toward a “world without nuclear weapons” following President Donald Trump’s announcement that the US would start testing nuclear weapons after a 30-year hiatus.
Japan remains the only country to have had nuclear weapons used against it, and has had a non-nuclear policy since the end of World War II.
In August, Japan marked the 80th anniversary of the US atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Earlier this week, Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi welcomed a “new golden era” of relations, and signed a critical minerals deal.
Trump's meeting with Xi is top trending topic on Chinese internet
As US President Donald Trump shook hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, millions of Chinese internet users were watching closely - and posting about it.
Their meeting has become the top trending topic on China’s X-like social media site Weibo, with the topic garnering 250 million views.
“Harmony between China and the US leads to global prosperity,” one user wrote. Another user described the meeting as “a historic moment.”
The mounting tariffs imposed by the US and China on each other have roiled the global economy and hurt businesses on both sides. Many were watching Trump and Xi’s meeting to see whether the two leaders can stabilize their countries’ fractious relationship.
Though they did not deliver remarks after the meeting, and neither side has published a readout yet, Trump spoke positively of the meeting to reporters on Air Force One – saying they had reached a trade deal that could be signed soon.
China’s internet is heavily censored, with posts appearing critical of the ruling Communist Party quickly taken down.
Trump says he had a “very nice conversation” with Canada’s Carney amid escalating trade feud
US President Donald Trump signaled some openness to thawing relations with Canada just days after escalating a trade war with country.
Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, was among a small group of world leaders who dined with Trump on Wednesday night at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in South Korea.
“We had a very nice conversation with him last night,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked if he had any updates on Canada.
On Saturday, Trump said he would be increasing tariffs on Canada by 10% over what he called a “fake” Canadian advertisement that featured parts of an 1987 anti-tariff speech by former President Ronald Reagan. He declined to say when the tariff increase would go into effect.
Hours before Wednesday night’s dinner, Trump posted on social media that he “didn’t come to South Korea to see Canada.”
Trump offered warm greetings and exchanged pleasantries with many of his other counterparts during a family photo of leaders on Wednesday, but he did not engage with Carney. As they took their seats at the dinner, however, Trump briefly pointed to Carney, who gestured back in greeting.
Denuclearization would be a "tremendous thing," Trump says after announcing nuclear tests
Denuclearization would be a “tremendous thing,” US President Donald Trump said Thursday, but reiterated that the US restarting nuclear testing after a 30-year moratorium was “appropriate.”
“They seem to all be nuclear testing,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, referring to Russia and China. “We have more nuclear weapons than anybody. We don’t do testing… but with others doing testing, I think it’s appropriate that we do also.”
He did not give details of when or where the US nuclear tests will take place, saying only: “We have test sites. It’ll be announced.”
Asked whether he’s worried the US is entering a riskier nuclear environment, Trump said: “I think we have it pretty well locked up.”
“I’d like to see a denuclearization,” Trump said.
An August report from the Congressional Research Service said it would take 24 to 36 months for the US to test a nuclear weapon after the president gives the order to do so.
None of the three major nuclear powers – Russia, the United States and China – has tested a nuclear weapon since China in 1996. Russia’s last nuclear test was in 1990, and the US last exploded a nuclear device in 1992.
But the world’s nuclear powers continue to develop and test the systems to deliver nuclear warheads. Days ago Russia claimed it had successfully tested a Poseidon nuclear-powered super torpedo.
Rare earth issue “has been settled,” Trump says
The issue surrounding China’s rare earth supplies has been resolved, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday, with Beijing expected to roll back some of the export restrictions that have led to tensions between Beijing and Washington.
“That roadblock is gone now … There’s no roadblock at all on rare earth. That will hopefully disappear from our vocabulary for a little while,” he said, adding that the US would be able to continue its purchase and productions of rare earths.
China has a near monopoly on the global supply and production of the critical resources, which are essential in the manufacturing of almost all high-tech products, from iPhones to electric vehicles.
China massively ramped up its export controls on the critical minerals earlier this month, a move Beijing said was a response to Washington’s expansion of technology export controls in late September. The tit-for-tat actions resulted in renewed frictions which began to calm after trade talks in Malaysia over the weekend.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Trump and Xi “came to an understanding” and that Beijing would not “impose the rare earth controls that they proposed.” It is not immediately clear if all of Beijing’s restrictions will be rolled back.
Not enough time on this trip to talk with Kim Jong Un, but will come back, Trump says
US President Donald Trump said a packed schedule meant he was unable to talk with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un during his five-day Asia trip, but that he would be willing to come back to the region for a meeting in future.
“We never were able to talk because… look I was so busy,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One after departing from South Korea.
“I think it would have been maybe disrespectful to the importance of this meeting (with Chinese leader Xi Jinping) if we did that. So I’d come back, with respect to Kim Jong Un.”
Trump previously said he would “love to see” the North Korean leader and that he was open to extending his Asia trip to meet with Kim.
He met Kim several times during his first term, holding landmark summits that ultimately failed to produce a meaningful breakthrough on North Korea giving up its nuclear arsenal.
Speaking as he left South Korea on Thursday, Trump said he would return to Asia next April for a meeting with Xi.
Trump says "we have a deal" that could be signed soon
US President Donald Trump offered a positive assessment of his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, saying they had reached a trade deal that could be signed soon – though he didn’t share any additional details.
Asked by a reporter aboard Air Force One how soon he thinks a deal may come, Trump responded: “I think pretty soon, we have not too many major stumbling blocks.”
Then he took a more definitive tone, declaring: “We have a deal. Now, every year we’ll renegotiate the deal, but I think the deal will go on for a long time.”
“It’s a one-year agreement, and we’ll extend it after a year,” he added.
He added that he and Xi had agreed on “almost everything,” including on soybean trade and fentanyl-related tariffs.
“We’ve had discussions on many of the elements that you’re talking about all the time,” Trump said.