One of the most highly anticipated bilateral meetings of the year, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping sat down for talks at a military base in South Korea.
The meeting took place against a backdrop of an escalating trade issue between the US and China during the past few months.
There had been expectations that the pair would discuss trade, and it appears both leaders followed through, walking away with a deal to reduce tariffs in exchange for resumed US soybean purchases.
As the two leaders gathered around a table, the Chinese president told his US counterpart via a translator that he was “ready to continue working with you to build a solid foundation for China-US relations”.
He also said it was normal for the two leading economies of the world to have frictions now and then, a pointed reference to their escalating trade issues.
Neither leader made any comment about what they discussed immediately after wrapping up.
But president Trump later told reporters on Air Force One that it was “an amazing meeting” and the talks were “a great honour”.
“He is a great leader,” Donald Trump said.
He went on to say that on a scale of one to 10, he would rate his meeting with Xi a 12.
“The whole relationship is very, very important,” he said.
In a Chinese readout of the meeting, President Xi noted that China and the United States “should be partners and friends”.
