Trump hails ‘great success’ as Xi talks raise hopes of easing US-China tensions

China and the United States have agreed to de-escalate their trade war, putting a pause on many thorny issues while making breakthroughs on soybean purchases and fentanyl tariffs.

US President Donald Trump hailed the meeting with President Xi Jinping at the Gimhae Air Base in Busan, South Korea, as a “great success”.

He confirmed he would visit China in April, adding that Xi would reciprocate with a trip to the US “some time after that”.

Thursday’s summit may help the two countries’ relationship enter a “more constructive phase” following a series of clashes over trade, according to observers, but they warned that a series of deep-rooted problems within the relationship could still derail any progress.

The 100-minute meeting was the first face-to-face encounter between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House in January.

“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 told the US leader, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

He added he was willing to continue working with Trump to “build a solid foundation for China-US relations and create a sound atmosphere for the development of both countries”.