Analysis by WorldTribune Staff, October 30, 2025 Real World News
Was it a coincidence that President Donald (Art of the Deal) Trump on Thursday ordered the resumption of U.S. nuclear weapons testing shortly before his meeting with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping?
The two met for about an hour and 40 minutes at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea in what was their first face-to-face meeting since the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan in June 2019.
Ostensibly the talks focused on trade, but momentous issues loomed in the background including China’s designs on Taiwan, its alarming buildup of strategic weapons and the question of whether or not Xi is still fully in command of his regime.
Noting that China in five years will have an equal number of nuclear weapons as the United States, Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social:
“The United States has more Nuclear Weapons than any other country. This was accomplished, including a complete update and renovation of existing weapons, during my First Term in office. Because of the tremendous destructive power, I HATED to do it, but had no choice!
“Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years.
“Because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter! PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP”.
Later, in comments to reporters during his return flight to the U.S., Trump said his administration plans to issue an announcement with more detail on the nuclear tests.
The U.S. last conducted a nuclear-weapons test in 1992.
Vladimir Putin said this week that Russia has tested a new type of nuclear-powered cruise missile and a nuclear-powered underwater drone.
China, which last tested a nuke in 1996, issued a statement calling on Washington to honor “its commitment to suspend nuclear testing” and “safeguard” the non-proliferation regime.
A Wall Street Journal report appeared mystified by the timing of Trump’s announcement. Trump “declined to explain the reason for his move but said it didn’t relate to China. It had to do with others. … “They seem to all be nuclear testing.” Is the world entering a more risky nuclear environment, the Journal wondered? “I don’t think so,” Trump was quoted as saying.
New York Sun columnist Donald Kirk noted that Xi seemed oblivious:
“Xi showed no sign of awareness of that remark as he and Trump faced each other for 100 minutes across a table lined with their top ministers and cabinet secretaries. By the time it was over, they both seemed happy to have gotten over, for now, China’s suspension of shipments of rare earth that are vital to electronic products in just about everything from computers to motor vehicles to jet engines. America’s soybean farmers should also be relieved that Xi reopened China’s markets to their products, from which they make more than $12 billion a year selling half their crop.”
The deal depends on America lowering tariffs on Chinese products. They now are coming down from an average of 57 percent to 47 percent — and, in the case of chemicals used to produce the fentanyl that’s killing tens of thousands of Americans — from 20 percent to 10 percent.
Asked how he would view his meeting with Xi on a scale of one to 10 — 10 at the top — Trump responded: “The meeting was a 12.” There was, he said, “no roadblock on rare earths.”
China propaganda outlet Xinhua affirmed that Xi and Trump had “reached consensus on solutions to problems” without reporting details. Rather, said Xinhua, Xi called on “both sides to focus on long-term benefits brought by cooperation rather than falling into vicious cycle of retaliation.”
Kirk noted: “That strong wording indicated that Xi had deliberately avoided the whole topic of China’s claims to the Free Chinese island of Taiwan, which it intimidates with air and naval exercises, and to the South China Sea, where it’s built several air and naval bases. Those topics, the focus of numerous crises, did not come up in a discussion that dwelled almost entirely on trade and tariffs.”
On the other hand, who knows what was really agreed to privately at the talks?
Strategist Michael Pillsbury commented on Fox News that key exchanges from the Xi-Trump meeting would be secret for 30 years and that despite all the warm words and body language it was a deadly serious moment.
Authoritative China analysts had even been questioning Xi’s hold on power in advance of the meeting, an issue that was off limits for most legacy and other media coverage of the momentous meeting.
Is Xi still “the man?” Who knows?
Related: How united are Xi, CCP and the PLA? Hegseth gets briefing by Indo-Pacific Command, October 29, 2025
Just five years ago, when Trump was playing hardball with his “good friend” Xi, negotiating tough trade deals, building up the U.S. military and cracking down hard on Chinese theft of U.S. intellectual property and rampant espionage on multiple levels, China was throwing in with Joe Biden. With the help of the “China virus.”
One person has never forgotten. And yet President First Lady Melania Trump and are still planning a state visit to China hosted presumably by Xi Jinping and his wife.
Related: Chinese Communist Party’s revenge: ‘They want Joe Biden’ as president, March 20, 2020
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