Xi-Trump meeting sparks optimism in China amid hope for lower tariffs and a 'honeymoon' in ties

Many radical successful China cheered the gathering Thursday betwixt President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump, aft months of escalating bilateral tensions.

Every clip the 2 leaders meet, it helps easiness tensions and creates a "positive atmosphere," Alex Hongcai Xu, seat of Beijing Honglve Consulting, said successful Mandarin, translated by CNBC. "This ambiance is beneficial for negotiations."

"Each broadside lowering tariffs to beneath 10% would payment superior flows and cooperation," Xu said. He noted that China tin apt bargain much U.S. soybeans and U.S.-made Boeing airplanes.

Trump said Thursday aft the gathering that the U.S. would halve a 20% fentanyl-related tariff connected China, bringing the total work connected Chinese goods to 47%. That marked a crisp reversal from his earlier menace to enforce an further 100% tariffs connected China starting Saturday.

But Trump gave fewer details connected whether the U.S. would promote much Chinese investment, saying lone that "they person investments [in the U.S.] and they volition invest."

Xu said helium hoped Washington would let much Chinese companies to put locally, which helium said would make jobs successful the U.S. and boost home accumulation portion reducing Chinese exports.

Chinese businesses, for their part, person been seeking opportunities overseas arsenic the home system slows.

"If the U.S. argumentation tin beryllium much certain, oregon connection the imaginable of lowered tariffs, past astatine slightest Chinese investments successful different countries tin increase," said Luke Li, who works successful energy-related manufacturing and commercialized successful Beijing, according to a CNBC translation of his remarks successful Chinese.

"As agelong arsenic they meet, determination volition beryllium progress," Li said, noting that "we are astir focused connected U.S. tariffs connected China, whether this volition beryllium adjusted."

As Xi and Trump met successful South Korea Thursday greeting section time, "China-U.S. leaders' Busan Summit" was the apical trending hashtag connected Weibo, a societal media level akin to X.

"Interest Rate Cut" was the 2nd most-popular hashtag, portion the fourth-ranked trending taxable besides centered connected the Trump-Xi meeting.

Most of the posts, however, were by Chinese quality outlets. User comments were brief, specified arsenic "long unrecorded China-U.S. friendship" and "China-U.S. communal success," according to a CNBC translation. It was unclear whether each remark represented a abstracted user.

On the trendy Xiaohongshu, oregon RedNote, app, 1 of the fewer posts connected the acme was by economist and predominant societal media commentator Song Qinghui, who wrote successful Chinese: "Look guardant to the early accomplishment of the China-U.S. honeymoon period."

Beijing restricts entree to X and galore different U.S. societal media platforms, portion maintaining choky power implicit home quality outlets.

While Chinese authorities media initially focused connected Beijing's latest abstraction exploration plans and downplayed the Trump-Xi gathering — opting to item Xi's attendance astatine the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' gathering alternatively — authoritative sum ramped up aft the talks began. The Chinese overseas ministry didn't corroborate the Trump-Xi gathering until Wednesday afternoon.

State broadcaster CCTV, which spent overmuch of Thursday greeting covering China's latest Shenzhou-21 abstraction mission, began sending regular updates about the gathering only after the 2 leaders met.

China's authoritative readout of Xi's opening remarks said Beijing was acceptable to enactment with Washington, quoting Xi arsenic saying that "China's improvement and revitalization goes manus successful manus with President Trump's imaginativeness to 'Make America Great Again.'"

"Trump [has been] overly confident. He doesn't listen," Xu said, referring to the U.S. president's absorption connected ramping up tariffs.

"If the U.S. and China are successful a mess, tin the U.S. go large again?" helium said. "No way."