‘12 out of 10’: Trump touts ‘truly great’ meeting with China’s Xi, lowers tariffs amid trade truce

President Donald Trump is heading back to Washington, D.C., after he capped a weeklong trip to Asia with what he called a “great” meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.

The high-stakes meeting on Thursday followed Trump’s visits to Malaysia and Japan on his whirlwind Asia tour focused on trade and diplomacy.  

“On a scale of one to 10, with 10 being the best, I would say the meeting was a 12,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One following an hour and a half of negotiations with Xi. 

Calling the meeting “truly great” on Truth Social, Trump said China agreed to help address the fentanyl crisis, buy “massive amounts of soybeans” and other U.S. farm products, and continue the flow of rare earth elements “openly and freely.”  

Trump said the U.S. will slash its tariffs he imposed due to Chinese fentanyl by 10%, halving it from the current 20% rate.  

“Very significantly, China has strongly stated that they will work diligently with us to stop the flow of Fentanyl into our Country. They will help us end the Fentanyl Crisis,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “China also agreed that they will begin the process of purchasing American Energy,” he added, noting a “very large-scale transaction” may soon take place over oil and gas from Alaska. 

“The agreements reached today will deliver Prosperity and Security to millions of Americans,” Trump noted. “Our Nation is Strong, Respected, and Admired Again and, THE BEST IS YET TO COME!” 

China’s foreign ministry, citing Xi, noted in a statement that “China-U.S. relations have remained stable on the whole.” 

“Given our different national conditions, we do not always see eye to eye with each other and it is normal for the two leading economies of the world to have frictions now and then,” Xi said. “I am ready to continue working with you to build a solid foundation for China-U.S. relations and create a sound atmosphere for the development of both countries.” 

En route back to the White House, Trump called Xi a “great leader of a very powerful, very strong country, China.”  

“We are in agreement on so many elements. Large amounts, tremendous amounts of soybeans, and other farm products, are going to be purchased immediately,” Trump told reporters. He reiterated he thinks Xi is “going to work very hard to stop the death” resulting from the fentanyl crisis. 

Taiwan “never came up” during the meeting, Trump said. He also said he was “never able to talk” to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the Asia trip because “we were so busy.”  

Trump said he’ll be visiting China in April, and Xi will visit the U.S. sometime afterwards – either in Florida or in Washington, D.C. 

Image credit: The White House