Overview
- Speaking at a White House breakfast with Republican senators on Nov. 5, President Trump recounted Xi Jinping’s aides standing silent and at attention during their Oct. 30 bilateral in Busan.
- Trump said he had “never seen men so scared,” and he teased Vice President JD Vance to “behave like that” for a few days, drawing laughter from attendees.
- The Busan talks produced time‑limited understandings, with the U.S. lowering some tariffs as China paused certain rare‑earth export curbs and resumed large agricultural purchases.
- Officials and experts note that enforcement and verification details remain unsettled and that questions persist on high‑technology export controls, with follow‑on negotiations continuing.
- New analyses describe the administration’s approach as highly transactional and leader‑driven, warning it could weaken longer‑term strategic safeguards, including through reported easing of some tech‑control measures.