Trump and Xi Agree to Trade Truce and Ukraine Cooperation

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Busan, South Korea, agreeing to a 12-month trade truce to ease a severe trade war. The agreement involves China resuming U.S. soybean purchases and relaxing restrictions on rare earth minerals in exchange for the U.S. reducing punitive tariffs, which had peaked at 145% for the U.S. and 125% for China. Trump later claimed a diplomatic victory, though he admitted no formal written agreements were reached on rare earth metals or Ukraine because the details were too tedious.

Beyond trade, Trump and Xi agreed to work together to find a path to peace in the Russia-Ukraine war. Trump indicated that China may also purchase American energy, potentially including oil and gas from Alaska. While Ukrainian officials welcomed the effort to bring China into the process to pressure Moscow, some European analysts remained skeptical of China's willingness to assist. Notably, both leaders omitted any mention of Taiwan or human rights during their discussions.

These efforts are part of a broader strategy of peace through strength. Trump recently helped broker a ceasefire in Gaza that released 20 hostages and has urged Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to stop the killing and make a deal. To project dominance, Trump has paired these diplomatic initiatives with military actions, including strikes on Venezuelan drug smuggling boats and threats to eradicate Hamas.