Trump confirms Xi meeting, retreats on 100% tariffs: ‘not sustainable’

Name: What are rare earths, and why is China’s dominance facing global pushback
Uploaded: 2025-10-17T13:15:07.000Z
Duration: 8 min 58 s
Description: What are rare earths, and why is China’s dominance facing global pushback

US president softens tone but points to Beijing’s rare earth controls for ‘forcing’ a high number ahead of sit-down at Apec summit

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US President Donald Trump (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 29, 2019. Photo: AFP

Mark Magnierin New York

Published: 9:15pm, 17 Oct 2025Updated: 11:10am, 18 Oct 2025

In a turnaround from the tough stance he took a week ago, US President Donald Trump said Friday that he planned to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea in two weeks and suggested that imposing an additional 100 per cent tariff on all Chinese goods appeared unworkable.

But he also blamed China for the latest stand-off in trade talks.

The mercurial president called into question his planned sit-down with Xi seven days ago and threatened the draconian tariff increase in addition to existing tariffs effective November 1 after Beijing widened its export curbs on rare earth materials and technologies.

“It’s not sustainable, but that’s what the number is,” Trump said on Fox News, suggesting that Beijing had given him little option but to throw out such a high number. “They forced me to do that.”

Trump also threatened new export controls on “any and all critical software” effective November 1 as part of the tit-for-tat salvoes. That would come nine days before a reprieve on existing tariff increases estimated at around 58 per cent set to expire on November 10.

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What are rare earths, and why is China’s dominance facing global pushback

Since his January inauguration, Trump has repeatedly set, delayed and reinstated tariff deadlines on China and a host of other trading partners, roiling markets and upending business plans.

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Trump confirms Xi meeting, retreats on 100% tariffs: ‘not sustainable’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}US president softens tone but points to Beijing’s rare earth controls for ‘forcing’ a high number ahead of sit-down at Apec summit

US president softens tone but points to Beijing’s rare earth controls for ‘forcing’ a high number ahead of sit-down at Apec summit