Trump Signals a “Lengthy Meeting” with Xi—Agenda Spans Rare Earths, Nuclear Arms Control, and Russian Oil

Trump Signals a “Lengthy Meeting” with Xi—Agenda Spans Rare Earths, Nuclear Arms Control, and Russian Oil

🏛️ Trump: “A fairly long meeting with Xi is planned… many core issues on the table”

U.S. President Donald Trump said he will hold a “fairly long meeting” with China’s President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, Korea later this month.

Speaking to reporters on the 22nd (local time), Trump said:

“We can address many problems, many questions, and our joint assets together.
The meeting is very important, and I’m hopeful we’ll see positive outcomes.”

He characterized the summit as “effectively the final negotiation,” forecasting an agenda that spans rare-earth supply chains, U.S. soybean exports, and nuclear arms control—a package covering economy and security alike.

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⚙️ “Rare-earth controls, nuclear arms control, Russian oil”—a watershed moment for U.S.–China ties

Trump emphasized that China’s export curbs on rare earths are a significant variable for the U.S. economy, adding:
“Rare earths can be a source of confusion, but there is plenty of them around the world.”

He also said a nuclear reduction agreement with China is plausible:
“The U.S. has the most nuclear weapons, Russia is second, and China is a distant third. In four to five years, the numbers could become excessive, so we need control.”

The Russia–Ukraine war is also expected to feature prominently.
Trump noted Xi wields substantial influence over Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, stating:

“We will clearly discuss the Russia–Ukraine issue.”

He hinted he might raise the issue of China curbing imports of Russian oil directly:
“We’ll talk about that as well. India’s imports of Russian oil will almost disappear by year-end.”

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💬 “Fair trade with Korea, Japan, and the EU—bringing in hundreds of billions”

Trump also highlighted progress on trade policy:

“We have concluded fair trade agreements with Korea, Japan, and the European Union.
In the past, these countries took a lot from us, but now the U.S. is bringing in hundreds of billions—trillions even.”

This can be read to mean that large-scale investment commitments in the U.S. by Korea, Japan, and the EU helped facilitate tariff relief and market access.

He further credited tariffs with helping “end eight wars,” and said an upcoming Supreme Court ruling on reciprocal tariff measures could be “the most important decision in its history.”

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🧭 Key Agenda Items at a Glance

CategoryLikely Discussion TopicsPotential Impact

Trade & Tariffs	Easing of rare-earth export controls; increased U.S. soybean purchases	Supply-chain stabilization; raw-material price relief
Arms Control	Adjusting nuclear stockpiles among the U.S., China, and Russia	Reduced geopolitical risk
Russia Sanctions	Pressure to limit Russian oil imports	Potential rise in oil-price volatility
Fair-Trade Framework	Expanded investment in the U.S. by Korea/Japan/EU	Faster relocation of global production bases

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📊 Industry & Market Analysis

🌏 Global Industry Takeaways

This U.S.–China summit is seen as a “geo-economic diplomacy event” that could set the trajectory for protectionism and supply-chain reconfiguration.

• Rare earths → Potential expansion of non-China supply chains led by the U.S., Australia, and Canada
• If arms-control progress → Possible short-term pullback in defense stocks, with attention shifting to AI and energy infrastructure spending
• If China curbs Russian oil → WTI/Brent may face upward pressure

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💰 Investment View: Select U.S./Korea Stock Ideas

🇺🇸 U.S. Equities

TickerInvestment Thesis

BA (Boeing)	Defense and aerospace demand remains resilient; fleet/infrastructure replacement persists even post arms-control
NUE (Nucor)	Beneficiary of steel and raw-material demand
FCX (Freeport-McMoRan)	Leverage to copper and strategic minerals amid non-China supply build-out
XOM (ExxonMobil)	Potential beneficiary if sanctions tighten and supply shortfalls emerge

🇰🇷 Korea Equities

Name (Code)Investment Thesis

POSCO Holdings (005490)	Upside from lithium/nickel and alternative materials for EVs and rare earths
LG Energy Solution (373220)	North American battery capacity build-out under tech decoupling tailwinds
Hyundai Glovis (086280)	Higher volumes from global raw-material and rare-earth logistics
Hanwha Aerospace (012450)	Solid export pipeline; potential mid-term rebound after any near-term defense pullback

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🧠 Investor Insight

This summit goes beyond routine trade talks—it’s a comprehensive economic negotiation entangling supply chains, energy, and security.

Watch for two key themes:

• Non-China rare-earth plays and
• Potential beneficiaries of de-escalation/arms-control (e.g., AI infrastructure, energy upgrades).

For Korea, POSCO Holdings, SK Innovation, Hanwha Aerospace and related supply-chain names could be direct beneficiaries of stabilization.

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❓ FAQ

Q1. What if the talks collapse?
→ Likely: higher rare-earth and energy prices, stronger USD, and a bid for defense stocks.

Q2. If a deal is struck, who benefits?
→ Inflation relief + a restart of semiconductor/battery capex—so tech and materials could rally together.

Q3. What’s the Korea-market spillover?
→ Greater U.S.–Korea trade; materials/components/equipment (SoC, battery, EV supply chain) could see export upside.