Trump jokes Xi Jinping is ‘tough negotiator’ as they meet at high-stakes showdown in South Korea

Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping came face-to-face for the first time in six years on Thursday morning in South Korea.

Xi acknowledged the ‘frictions’ between the two countries, as Trump joked about his counterpart being a ‘tough negotiator.’

The handshake marked the first meeting between the two biggest world leaders after Trump kicked off a trade war with China just days after reentering office when he levied an additional 10 percent tariff on imports.

The meeting is high-stakes for both nations and the two appeared to be on their best behavior levying compliments – but they were also cautious. 

‘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 every now and then,’ Xi said as they sat down for negotiations at an air base in Busan, South Korea.

And Trump insisted: ‘We’ve already agreed to a lot of things and we’ll agree to some more right now.’ 

Trump needs a political win on the foreign stage after his peace deal between Israel and Hamas began to fall apart and talks for a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia hit a standstill this month.

The president blasted off a social media post just moments before his consequential meeting with Xi announcing his direction for the Department of War to begin nuclear weapon testing ‘immediately.’ He specifically called out needing to meet the level of testing made by Russia and China.

And while Trump relies on flattery to build relationships with adversarial world leaders, he also had a quick quip for Xi right after they shook hands.

‘I think he’s a very tough negotiator. That’s not good,’ he chuckled. 

Trump added: ‘We’ll have a great understanding. We have a good relationship.’

Meanwhile, Xi called their relationship ‘warm.’

‘Since your reelection we have spoken on the phone three times, exchanged several letters and stayed in close contact,’ he said, according to a live translation of his short remarks.

‘You and I, at the helm of U.S.-China relations, should stay the right course,’ Xi insisted. 

The president has been highly critical of Xi in his second term and went to his social media site Truth Social to link the Chinese leader to Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean autocrat Kim Jong Un.

But Xi comes to the meeting with a powerful negotiating hand given China produces 80 to 90 percent of the world’s rare earth minerals, which are essential for America’s high-tech industry.

And while the US has now discovered Beijing can survive without its farmers’ soybeans, Trump realizes that his country cannot thrive without the rare earths from China.

Trump and Xi agreed to meet on the Gimhae South Korean Air Base sitting at the edge of the Gimhae International Airport.

Among Trump’s team attending the high-stakes meeting in Busan are Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller and Trade Advisor Jamieson Greer.

The president jetted off last week for a weeklong trip through Asia – starting in Malaysia, then to Japan and finishing off in South Korea with his Xi meeting.