Trump, China’s Xi are meeting in South Korea to try to roll back months of trade tensions

Busan, Oct 30: President Donald Trump is meeting face-to-face with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday, a chance for the leaders of the world’s two largest economies to stabilise relations after months of turmoil over trade issues.

Trump’s aggressive use of tariffs since returning to the White House for a second term combined with China’s retaliatory limits on exports of rare earth elements have given the meeting newfound urgency. There is a mutual recognition that neither side wants to risk blowing up the world economy in ways that could jeopardise their own country’s fortunes.

In the days leading up to the meeting, US officials have signalled that Trump does not intend to make good on a recent threat to impose an additional 100 per cent import tax on Chinese goods — and China has sh