Before the high-stakes meeting between President Donald Trump and Xi Jinping of China on Thursday, world leaders were hoping for news of an economic truce that could help stabilize the global economy. They got it.
They got something extra, as well: intensified concerns about whether the world is entering a new era of nuclear weapons proliferation among global powers.
After a 90-minute face to face meeting in South Korea, Trump announced that the two leaders had sharply de-escalated their trade standoff, agreeing, in essence, on a yearlong ceasefire that would roll back tit-for-tat measures including steep tariffs and shutting off access to rare earth metals.
The meeting was the most anticipated and consequential event of Trump's nearly weeklong tour through Asia, where he engaged in a series of trade and security agreements with other countries in the region, many of them geared toward containing Beijing.
"I guess on the scale from 0 to 10, with 10 being the best, I would say the meeting was a 12," Trump said aboard Air Force One as he returned to Washington.
The agreement was a win for the world economy, but was brokered under the shadow of a new and sudden amplification of nuclear threats between global powers.
Just minutes before he landed in Busan, South Korea, to meet with Xi, Trump announced on social media that the United States would immediately restart nuclear weapons testing after a lull of more than 30 years. The announcement came after Russia announced that it had also conducted tests of a nuclear-capable missile and sea drone this week.
"Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis," he wrote, saying the process would begin immediately.
Trump did not provide any further details about the decision. But with his message, Trump seemed to be ratcheting up pressure as he prepared to meet with the leader with the world's second- largest economy and third-largest nuclear arsenal.
After the meeting, Trump praised Xi as a "great leader of a very powerful, very strong country." And he appeared to soften his hard-edged statement from earlier in the day, suggesting that his announcement was not aimed at China but at other nations that he repeatedly declined to name.
"We have more nuclear weapons than anybody, we don't do testing," Trump said. "We've halted it years -- many years ago," he said. "But with others doing testing, I think it's appropriate that we do also."
But the chaotic backdrop to the meeting was a reminder of how Trump's approach to issues and diplomacy can change on a dime -- even on a matter as vital as the strategy governing the U.S. nuclear arsenal -- and also displayed his increasingly volatile approach to foreign policy since he retook office.
The meeting also drove home how much is at stake every time the United States and China meet now: the global economy, security across the world and the sprawling implications of negotiation between the two countries, affecting everything from individual alliances in the Indo Pacific to the outcome of the Russian invasion in Ukraine.
A readout issued by the Chinese official news agency Xinhua after the meeting did not address what agreements were made but did allude to China's recent move to cut off supplies of critical minerals.
The statement noted that Xi told Trump that recent "twists and turns" in the U.S.-China relationship should be a lesson to them both to avoid the "vicious cycle of mutual retaliation."
The meeting concluded with clear victories for Trump's foreign and domestic agenda.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One that China had agreed to suspend for a year its limits on exports of rare earth metals, which are crucial for a wide range of advanced manufacturing industries. The move by China this month to restrict the exports had prompted Trump to threaten to cancel this week's meeting.
He also said Xi had agreed to take stronger action to stop the flow of precursor chemicals for making fentanyl and that the United States in response would reduce to 10%, from 20%, the fentanyl-linked tariffs it had imposed on China early this year. Reducing fentanyl deaths in the United States has been a priority for Trump.
In a social media post, Trump said Xi had also committed to purchasing "massive amounts of Soybeans" and other agricultural products, adding that "Our Farmers will be very happy!" He wrote that China would also "begin the process" of purchasing American energy.
Trump's announcement that he would resume nuclear testing came after President Vladimir Putin of Russia said his country had successfully tested a nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable missile, and then, separately, a nuclear sea drone that could set off a tsunami. And Xi is overseeing one of the fastest buildups of a nuclear arsenal on Earth.
Asked whether he believed his directive would create a riskier nuclear environment, Trump brushed off its impact saying, "I think we have it pretty well locked up."
Trump added that the United States was already in talks with Russia about denuclearization and that "China would be added to that."
Trump's announcement also came after he had made substantial announcements about building the defenses of U.S. allies in the region.
At a naval base near Tokyo on Tuesday, Trump said the Japanese government had placed an order of American-made missiles to arm their fighter jets. His administration has been pressuring the Japanese to spend more on military defense.
Standing next to him, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan promised that she had renewed her resolve "to make the Indo-Pacific free and open," a reference to checking Chinese maneuvers and territorial ambitions in the South China Sea.
In South Korea, Trump highlighted the country's investment in American shipbuilding and said later that he had given the U.S. ally "approval to build a nuclear powered submarine."
By the time he arrived in Busan, Trump was hoping that he had collected enough leverage for an agreement with Xi and was looking for more chances to engage.
Throughout his trip, Trump struck a hopeful tone about striking a deal that could bolster a fragile trade truce that the United States and China struck last month after four rounds of negotiations. As he flew back to Washington, Trump declared victory.
He called the meeting "a great success" and announced that he would visit in China in April.
"The whole relationship is very, very important," he said.
Source Name : Economic Times