Trump orders nuclear weapons tests ahead of high-risk meeting with Xi

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met for their first face-to-face talks in six years in hopes of ending a months-long trade war, a meeting that came shortly after Trump said the United States would “immediately” begin testing nuclear weapons, something it has not done in more than 30 years.

The meeting at an air base in Busan, South Korea, lasted approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes. Before the meeting, Trump said it could last three to four hours.

The two leaders seemed in good spirits as they left the meeting, exchanged a few brief words and shook hands. Trump now returns to Washington.

There was no immediate information about high-profile talks.

The two shook hands on camera before the meeting and, in brief comments, projected optimism about the U.S.-China relationship.

“I think we’ve already agreed on a lot of things and we’ll agree on some more right now, but President Xi is a great leader of a great country and I think we’re going to have a fantastic relationship for a long period of time,” Trump said.

Xi said that since Trump’s re-election, the two leaders have spoken three times by phone.

“Given our different national conditions, we do not always agree, and it is normal for the world’s two major economies to have friction from time to time,” Xi said through an interpreter.

But he said the relationship between the two countries remains “overall stable.”

About an hour before the meeting began, Trump posted on his social media platform, touting America’s nuclear capability and saying he had ordered the Pentagon to resume nuclear testing on an “equal basis” with other countries’ testing programs, which will begin “immediately.”

The United States has “observed a voluntary moratorium on nuclear explosives testing since 1992,” according to the Congressional Research Service, although it has maintained the ability to resume testing.

“The United States has more nuclear weapons than any other country,” Trump said in the post, adding that “Russia is second and China is a distant third, but will be even in five years.”

The post went on to say, “Due to other countries’ testing programs, I have directed the War Department to begin testing our nuclear weapons on a level playing field. That process will begin immediately.”

After negotiations in Malaysia earlier this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said U.S. and Chinese officials agreed on a framework around trade talks. But ultimately, it’s up to the two leaders to close the deal.

Even if truces are signed and deadlines extended, experts say any progress will only offer temporary relief: short-term adjustments rather than structural changes to one of the world’s most consequential relationships.

What is on the table in the conversations?

Weeks ago, China announced it would dramatically expand restrictions on rare earth minerals, key materials for produce computer chips that are needed for everything, including smartphones, artificial intelligence systems and defense technology. The new rules mean that foreign companies must obtain approval from the Chinese government to export products that have even traces of certain rare earth which are originally from China.

kissed He said China agreed to delay its restrictions for a year. But that’s not much time, certainly not enough to build viable alternatives to China.

And experts say restrictions on rare earths are part of Beijing’s long-term plans. While they may delay these controls, they still give Beijing powerful influence for years to come.

Restrictions on rare earth exports are part of a “broader shift in China’s approach to economic diplomacy,” said Neil Thomas, a member of the China Analysis Center of the Asia Society Policy Institute.

“It has been studying the US export control regime and absorbing the lessons of how powerful a diplomatic tool it can be…Beijing wants Washington to reduce its own export controls on China,” Thomas said.

Tariffs will also be a major topic of talks.

In response to China’s rare earth controls, Trump threatened to impose additional 100% tariffs on China. Bessent says that threat is no longer on the table.

But on November 10 There’s another deadline: That’s when the 90-day truce on each country’s sky-high tariffs expires. Bessent says he hopes for an extension, but even with this truce, tariffs on goods from both countries remain in double digits.

Trump imposed 20% tariffs on China earlier this year over claims that China has failed to crack down on the export of chemicals used to make fentanyl. Trump said he hopes to reduce those fentanyl tariffs. The flow of fentanyl precursor chemicals has been a long-standing challenge between the United States and China.

Bessent said the deal with China also addresses concerns of U.S. soybean farmers. China has turned to Argentina for soybeans during the trade war, a shift that has deepened financial pressure on American farmers.

Bloomberg and Reuters They report that China has purchased some shipments of soybeans, their first purchases of this year’s US crop. ABC News has reached out to the White House and the Treasury Department for comment. While this could be a temporary relief, the long term The trend is that China has been steadily reducing its dependence on the United States.

Further, TikTok’s agreement to keep the popular application operational in the United States could be finalized during its meeting. Bessent said on Sunday that his “mission was to get the Chinese to agree to approve the transaction” and he believes “we successfully achieved that” during his negotiations in Malaysia.

The White House announced last month that the deal would create a joint venture majority owned by American investors, with Oracle overseeing the algorithm.

Some experts say President Xi is seeking President Trump to signal a shift in U.S. support for Taiwan, the democratically governed island that Beijing claims as its own.

Trump downplayed the issue and told reporters that he doesn’t know if they will even mention Taiwan, which depends on U.S. political and military support.

Also on the foreign policy front, Trump wants Xi to use his influence over Russian President Vladimir Putin to help end the war in Ukraine and stop buying Russian energy.