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US, China talks sketch out rare earths, tariff pause for Trump and Xi to consider
- Chinese official says “preliminary consensus” reached.
- US official expects China to delay rare earths curbs for a year.
- Donald Trump optimistic about deal when he meets Xi Jinping.
Top Chinese and US economic officials on Sunday hashed out the framework of a trade deal for US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to decide on later this week that would pause steeper American tariffs and Chinese rare earths export controls, US officials said.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that talks on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur had eliminated the threat of Trump’s 100% tariffs on Chinese imports starting November 1.
Bessent also said that he expects China to delay implementation of its rare earth minerals and magnets licencing regime by a year while the policy is reconsidered.
Chinese officials were more circumspect about the talks and offered no details about the outcome of the meetings.
Trump and Xi are due to meet on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, to sign off on the terms. While the White House has officially announced the highly anticipated Trump-Xi talks, China has yet to confirm that the two leaders will meet.
“I think we have a very successful framework for the leaders to discuss on Thursday,” Bessent told reporters after he and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and top trade negotiator Li Chenggang for their fifth round of in-person discussions since May.
Bessent said he anticipates that a tariff truce with China will be extended beyond its November 10 expiration date, and that China will revive substantial purchases of US soybeans after buying none in September while favouring soybeans from Brazil and Argentina.
US soybean farmers “will feel very good about what’s going on both for this season and the coming seasons for several years” once the deal’s terms are announced, Bessent told the ABC programme “This Week.”
Greer told the “Fox News Sunday” programme that both sides agreed to pause some punitive actions and found “a path forward where we can have more access to rare earths from China, we can try to balance out our trade deficit with sales from the United States.”
Trump expects a deal, Chinese suggest caution
China’s Li Chenggang said the two sides reached a “preliminary consensus” and will next go through their respective internal approval processes.
“The US position has been tough, whereas China has been firm in defending its own interests and rights,” Li said through an interpreter. “We have experienced very intense consultations and engaged in constructive exchanges in exploring solutions and arrangements to address these concerns.”
Trump arrived in Malaysia on Sunday for a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, his first stop in a five-day Asia tour that is expected to culminate in Thursday’s face-to-face with Xi in South Korea.
After the weekend talks, Trump struck a positive tone, saying: “I think we’re going to have a deal with China”.
Trump had threatened new 100% tariffs on Chinese goods and other trade curbs starting on November 1, in retaliation for China’s expanded export controls on rare earth magnets and minerals.
China controls more than 90% of the world’s supply for the materials, which are essential for high-tech manufacturing from electric vehicles to semiconductors and missiles. The export controls and Trump’s threatened retaliation would disrupt a delicate six-month truce under which China and the US reduced tariffs that had quickly escalated to triple-digit rates on each side.
The US and Chinese officials said that, in addition to rare earths, they discussed trade expansion, the US fentanyl crisis, US port entrance fees, and the transfer of TikTok to US ownership control.
Bessent told NBC’s “Meet the Press” programme that the two sides have to iron out details of the TikTok deal, allowing Trump and Xi to “consummate the transaction” in South Korea.
Talking points with Xi include soybeans, Taiwan
On the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit, Trump hinted at possible meetings with Xi in China and the United States.
“We’ve agreed to meet. We’re going to meet them later in China, and we’re going to meet in the US, in either Washington or at Mar-a-Lago,” Trump said.
Among Trump’s talking points with Xi are Chinese purchases of US soybeans, concerns around Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, and the release of jailed Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai.
Trump also said he will seek China’s help in US dealings with Moscow, as Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds on.
Tensions between the world’s two largest economies flared in the past few weeks as a delicate trade truce, reached after a first round of trade talks in Geneva in May and extended in August, failed to prevent the United States and China from hitting each other with more sanctions, export curbs, and threats of stronger retaliatory measures.
China’s expanded controls of rare earths exports have caused a global shortage. That has prompted the United States to consider a block on software-powered exports to China, from laptops to jet engines, according to a Reuters report.
Japan is strengthening its military power amid tensions with China over the Taiwan issue as it recently tested a 100 kilowatt laser weapon system capable of cutting through metal and drones mid-flight.
The high-power weapon combines 10 lasers (10 kilowatt each) into a single beam, giving it enough power to cut and burn through metal surfaces.
Amid the increasing role of drone technology in modern warfare as evident from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, the laser weapons have gained prominence.
Many countries around the world, including the United States, Russia, China, Germany and Australia, have already tested deployed laser weapon systems to shoot down lightweight airborne threats, including drones and mortars.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries started developing the weapon in 2019 and delivered its first prototype to Japan’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) in February 2023.
It has been revealed that the laser system is capable of engaging targets without running out of ammunition.
The weapon system is installed on a 6,200-ton warship, JS Asuka test ship, and will soon be sent to the sea for tests in maritime conditions. The tests are expected to begin from February next year.
This development comes amid strained relations with China after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the self-defence forces (SDF) could be deployed if China takes military action against Taiwan.
Prince William is anticipated to hold the fort for his father King Charles in 2026 as the monarch plans to attend to matters of international diplomacy.
The Prince of Wales, who has reportedly been prepared to take on his destined role “on a moment’s notice” by the Palace, was seen establishing his image as a global leader as he stepped in for his father for significant events, giving the speech at the COP30 and attending the funeral of the late Pope Francis.
2026 will also prove to be a rewarding year for the heir to the throne despite the cut down on his travels, according to psychic Inbaal Honigman.
“He will be run off his feet, but with no overseas travel indicated, all of this activity takes place within the borders of the Kingdom,” she predicted.
King Charles had revealed that his cancer treatment can be “scaled back” as doctors have indicated positive recovery. Hence, the Palace has already indicated three major tours for Chales and Camilla next year.
In her tarot card reading, she determined to Tarotoo that William’s year be dictated by the “most positive” World card.
She claimed that this year will be “successful, joyous, and easygoing” and it will leave him with a sense of personal victory.
William will also be doing a lot of the work that he is passionate about. He is set to lend his name to “scientific research around longevity, and he will be photographed supporting animal conservation efforts, specifically relating to aviary species”. He is also expected to open a chain of schools.
It will be a rewarding year but a busy one.
Travis Kelce has become a steady presence in Taylor Swift’s life, and the pop star says their shared careers have made all the difference.
In a new episode of her Disney+ docuseries The End of an Era, Swift, 36, opened up about how touring once made relationships difficult. “Relationships on tour has always been something I’ve really struggled with because it’s always felt like the tour was taking away from the relationship,” she said.
“Somehow, I was not able to do both and feel like I was nurturing both at the same time, even though I would try and try and try and try.”
That changed when she began dating the Kansas City Chiefs tight end. Swift explained there was a “dynamic shift” because both she and Kelce perform in stadiums for a living.
“We both have jobs where we go out in NFL stadiums, and we entertain people for three and a half hours,” she said. “His with considerably more violence than mine — but he’s not in heels. But it’s our passion. We’ve been chasing this since we were little kids.”
Swift added, “I don’t think I ever thought I’d meet a guy who had that same trajectory… You can have the two passions coexist, and they actually fuel each other.”
The couple has been publicly supportive of one another, with Kelce even joining Swift onstage during her Eras Tour stop in London. Fans cheered as he danced and helped carry her across the Wembley Stadium stage.
“The fans absolutely love Travis,” Swift said, adding that Swifties admire “the way he treats me.”
The couple announced their engagement on Instagram on August 26, marking another milestone in a love story that began with a friendship bracelet and a missed meeting.
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