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Trump and Xi to Meet Thursday in South Korea as Tentative Trade Truce Takes Shape

Talks proceed under a provisional framework that pairs tariff relief with steps on rare earths, TikTok and fentanyl controls.

Overview

  • The leaders are set to convene at 11:00 local time in South Korea for a three to four hour session on the sidelines of APEC, according to U.S. and Chinese officials.
  • Following preparatory talks in Kuala Lumpur, negotiators on both sides described a substantive framework to guide the meeting.
  • Draft terms under discussion include a one‑year postponement of China’s rare‑earth export controls in exchange for easing or shelving newly threatened 100% U.S. tariffs.
  • A TikTok plan is reportedly ready in substance, with an Oracle‑led U.S. consortium to hold 80% of the app’s U.S. operations and ByteDance 20%, pending signatures from Trump and Xi.
  • Trump has signaled tariff reductions if Beijing curbs exports of fentanyl precursors and cooperates with U.S. law enforcement, while analysts caution any outcome would likely be a temporary pause rather than a structural fix.