Trump To Meet China’s Xi Jinping In Two Weeks Amid Escalating Tariff War

Amid mounting trade tensions between Washington and Beijing, US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in two weeks, signaling a possible thaw after days of fiery exchanges over tariffs and rare earth export controls.

Speaking to Fox Business Network on Friday, Trump admitted that his newly announced 100% tariff on all Chinese imports would not be sustainable in the long term.

“It’s not sustainable, but that’s what the number is. They forced me to do that,” Trump said, adding that he believed “things will be fine with China.”

The meeting, expected to take place ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in South Korea, comes just days after Trump had publicly ruled out engaging with Xi, accusing Beijing of “holding the world captive” through export curbs on rare earth elements critical to electric vehicles, semiconductors, and defense technology.

Trump’s 100% Tariff Threat: Trade War 2.0?

Earlier this month, Trump declared that the United States will impose an additional 100% tariff on all Chinese imports starting November 1, 2025, or sooner if Beijing tightens restrictions on strategic materials. The move marks a steep escalation in the US-China trade war, which began during Trump’s first term.

“China has taken an incredibly aggressive stance on trade,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Beginning November 1st, the United States will be adding a tariff of 100% on China.”

Beijing, in turn, slammed Washington’s decision, accusing the US of “arbitrary double standards” and warning of potential countermeasures. “China does not want to fight, but is not afraid to fight,” the Chinese Commerce Ministry said in a strongly worded statement.

Rare Earths at the Heart of the Tension

The latest battle concerns export controls imposed by China on rare earths, which are critical to high-tech and clean energy industries. The Americans have characterized these measures as a “morally disgraceful” effort by Beijing to monopolize the supply chains of the world while China believes it is doing so on the basis of its rights of sovereignty. 

Observers warn that increasing bellicose rhetoric could lead to a rerun of a cycle of retaliatory tariffs and disruptions in global markets, similar to the trade war which disrupted economies across the world in 2018-19. 

“It will probably be harmful, but it will be really good for the U.S.A. in the end”, Trump said, to suggest tariffs on rare earths would nudge on-shoring to U.S. manufacturing and self-sufficiency. 

Despite the rhetoric, Trump confirmed that U.S. and Chinese officials would meet face-to-face, raising the hope of diplomatic progress. In the view of analysts and observers, this meeting will determine if the world’s two largest economies will escalate further into a prospect of trade war, or deescalate tensions and avoid a productive capacity collision. 

In an interesting twist, Trump, who said that 100% tariffs are “unsustainable,” and with China planning retaliatory tariffs as well, now turns a watchful eye toward this upcoming meeting in two weeks, wondering: will it be the turn of the page toward the end of the trade war, or the next episode in the saga of U.S.-China trade war 2.0?

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