Overview
- Trump and Xi met Thursday in Busan, opening a bilateral session after a brief photo-op at Gimhae airport, with both leaders voicing optimism for a productive outcome.
- Delegations are working to validate a framework that pairs a Chinese delay of rare‑earth export curbs and resumed purchases of U.S. soybeans with a step back from new or higher tariffs.
- Trump told reporters he could lower tariffs because he expects Beijing to help counter fentanyl trafficking and to coordinate with U.S. law enforcement.
- The White House located the meeting in Busan with a late‑morning start, as the APEC area saw heavy security, venue secrecy and nationalist protests in nearby Gyeongju.
- Separate U.S.–South Korea negotiations remain unsettled over auto surcharges and the structure, timing and modalities of a pledged $350 billion investment package.