'Meeting with Xi was 12': Trump rates high-stakes US-China talk; calls him 'tremendous leader'

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping was a "great success" and announced that he will visit China in April next year for more discussions. Trump told reporters on Air Force One, "I'll be going to China in April and he'll be coming here sometime after that, whether it's in Florida, Palm Beach or Washington, DC."

Trump said that "a lot of things we brought to finalisation" during the talks on Thursday in Busan, South Korea, and described Xi as a "tremendous leader of a very powerful country".




When asked to rate the meeting on a scale of 1 to 10, Trump responded, "On a scale of 1 to 10, the meeting with Xi was 12," calling the meeting a "great success".



Trump said the discussions resulted in a one-year deal on the supply of rare earths, which could be extended. "All the rare earths has been settled, and that's for the world," Trump told reporters on Air Force One, saying the agreement will be negotiated every year.

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He also said he agreed to cut fentanyl-related tariffs on China to 10 per cent after the talks with Xi in South Korea. “As you know, I put a 20% tariff on China because of the fentanyl coming in, which is a big tariff,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One after leaving South Korea.

“I reduced it by 10% so it’s 10% instead of 20% effective immediately.”

Earlier on Thursday, Trump and Xi met face-to-face to try to stabilise their countries’ relationship after months of trade tension. The meeting lasted just over 100 minutes. The two leaders shook hands, and Trump spoke briefly into Xi’s ear before Xi left for his limousine. Trump then boarded Air Force One to return to Washington.

The leaders met in Busan, South Korea, a port city about 76 kilometers south from Gyeongju, the main venue for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.