G20 summit 2019: Trump meets leaders in Osaka

By Jessie Yeung, Ben Westcott, Kevin Liptak and Steve George, CNN

Updated 10:43 p.m. ET, June 29, 2019
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12:44 a.m. ET, June 29, 2019

Xinhua: US-China agree to reopen trade talks, new tariffs suspended

From CNN's Lily Lee

Staff fold flags while US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka on June 29.
Staff fold flags while US President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka on June 29. Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images/AFP

China's official state-run press agency Xinhua news have announced that President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump have agreed to resume stalled trade talks.

"(They) agreed that China and the United States should resume economic and trade discussions on the basis of equality and mutual respect," said a Xinhua report, carried on their website Saturday.

According to Xinhua, Trump agreed to not impose new tariffs on Chinese exports while trade talks were ongoing.

The US leader had threatened to raise tariffs to 25% on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese exports if talks fell through.

There currently is no confirmation from the United States delegation on the specifics of what was agreed on during the meeting, but Trump said talks with China are “back on track” after their meeting.

A statement is expected from the Trump administration in the coming hours.

12:35 a.m. ET, June 29, 2019

We're answering your FAQ on the China trade war

Photo Illustration/CNNMoney
Photo Illustration/CNNMoney

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have just wrapped up a closed-door meeting, where they discussed the ongoing US-China trade war.

But let's go back to basics. Here's what you need to know:

What is the trade war?

The trade war encompasses a series of escalating tit-for-tat trade tariffs between the US and China. It started last June, when Trump announced tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods. Days later, Xi retaliated with tariffs on $34 billion worth of US imports.

The trade war has now been going on for a year. Hundreds of billions of dollars in US and Chinese exports are now facing heavy tariffs on both sides of the Pacific.

What does this mean for the public?

The tariffs mean American products are more expensive for Chinese importers -- and so soybean, corn, and wheat farmers in the US have taken a severe blow. Big US companies and industry trade associations, like Walmart and Costco, have also suffered.

When will it end?

No one is quite sure. The trade talks have stalled since May, and even though today's meeting signals something of a tentative restart in negotiations, US officials say a final deal isn't expected this week.

Instead, what's more likely is a truce of sorts that will avoid new tariffs while establishing a timeline for renewed talks.

12:28 a.m. ET, June 29, 2019

Trump: US-China trade talks are "back on track"

From CNN's Kevin Liptak

US President Donald Trump holds talks with China's President Xi Jinping (not pictured) on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka on June 29.
US President Donald Trump holds talks with China's President Xi Jinping (not pictured) on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka on June 29. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Speaking ahead of his meeting with Turkish President Recep Erdogan, US President Donald Trump said trade talks with China are back on track after his meeting with China's Xi Jinping.

“We’re right back on track. We’ll see what happens,” Trump said after the talks wrapped. He described the meeting as “excellent” and “probably even better than expected.”

“We had a very good meeting with President Xi,” he said.

He did not describe the outcome of the talks, saying more details would be released by both sides. He said a US statement would be released around 3:30 p.m. local time (2:30 a.m. ET).

“The negotiations are continuing,” Trump said.

12:25 a.m. ET, June 29, 2019

North Korea responds to Trump's open invitation: It's "a very interesting suggestion"

This morning, US President Donald Trump invited North Korean leader Kim Jong Un via Twitter to meet at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that separates North and South Korea -- a suggestion Pyongyang called "very interesting."

“This morning, President Trump of the United States of America stated his position through Twitter that he wishes to meet and exchange greetings with Comrade Chairman of the State Affairs Commission in the Demilitarized Zone when he visits south Korea from June 29 to 30... We see it as a very interesting suggestion, but we have not received an official proposal in this regard," said Choe Son Hui, First Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs in a statement to North Korean state media KCNA.

“I am of the view that if the DPRK-U.S. summit meetings take place on the division line, as is intended by President Trump, it would serve as another meaningful occasion in further deepening the personal relations between the two leaders and advancing the bilateral relations," Choe said.

12:19 a.m. ET, June 29, 2019

Trump meets with Turkey's Erdogan, says China summit went "as good as it was going to be"

US President Donald Trump is sitting down with Turkish President Recep Erdogan, his last major bilateral talks of the 2019 G20 summit.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Trump said that Erdogan had "done a very good job."

"(Our) meeting is largely to do with trade, we're doing more and more business," he said.

There is currently a dispute between the two countries over Turkey's purchase of the Russian S-400 missile system.

When asked by journalist about his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said it was a "very, very good meeting, better than expected."

"We're right back on track," Trump said, without elaborating any further. He said both sides would be putting out statements soon.

12:13 a.m. ET, June 29, 2019

Trump-Xi summit breaks up after just over an hour of talks

From CNN's Ben Westcott

US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping have finished their closed-door meeting.

There has been no announcement yet on what was agreed, or even whether any agreement was reached.

Up to 90 minutes were allotted for the two leaders to meet.

Trump is now meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his last official meeting of the 2019 G20.

12:10 a.m. ET, June 29, 2019

Will Trump and Xi make a deal? The signals are mixed

Analysis by CNN's Ben Westcott

Chinese President Xi Jinping at his meeting with Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka on June 29.
Chinese President Xi Jinping at his meeting with Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka on June 29. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

As US President Donald Trump meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the big question is whether they'll be able to strike a deal.

There's no telling at this point how likely a trade war ceasefire is.

Earlier today Trump said, "Time will tell," while the Chinese government has only slightly backed down on its tough, nationalistic propaganda in recent days.

The US and China also remain far apart on important issues such as forced technology transfers and state research funding.

Both Trump and Xi have good reason to want an end to the trade war, however.

Trump is facing a tough fight for re-election in just over a year while Xi is just months off the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

The US leader has also threatened to raise tariffs to 25% on hundreds of billions of dollars of Chinese goods if talks don't go well.

12:06 a.m. ET, June 29, 2019

Putin to meet with Turkey's Erdogan over controversial missile system

From CNN's Samantha Beech

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Japan today, state-run news agency Anadolu said.

Ahead of their meeting, Erdogan said delivery of Russia’s S-400 missile defense system to Turkey is proceeding without delay and there has been no setback in the deal with Moscow, Anadolu reported. 

US President Donald Trump is set to meet with Erdogan soon, after his summit with Xi, amid a dispute between the two countries over Turkey's purchase of the Russian S-400 missile system.

US officials have warned Turkey that it would not be allowed to buy the US built F-35 stealth jet if it goes ahead with the missile system purchase, because the US believes the Russian system is incompatible with the F-35 jet -- and has argued that Moscow could use it to gather intelligence on the aircraft.

Erdogan is also expected to meet with UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on the second and final day of the G20 Summit.

12:19 a.m. ET, June 29, 2019

Who's at the table with Xi and Trump?

From CNN's Kevin Liptak and Yong Xiong

US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are currently in a closed-door meeting, where they will discuss their year-long trade war.

Before they began the meeting, we got a look at the US and Chinese officials who are participating in the trade talks.

Here's who was in Trump's delegation:

  • Ivanka Trump, Trump's daughter and senior adviser
  • Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and senior advisor
  • Steven Mnuchin, US Secretary of the Treasury
  • Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State
  • John Bolton, US National Security Advisor
  • Mick Mulvaney, Acting White House Chief of Staff
  • Peter Navarro, White House Trade Adviser
  • Robert Lighthizer, US Trade Representative
  • Wilbur Ross, US Secretary of Commerce
  • Dan Scavino, White House Social Media Director

Here are some of the people from Xi's delegation:

  • Wang Yi, Chinese Foreign Minister
  • Liu He, Chinese Trade Representative
  • Zhong Shan, Minister of Commerce
  • Ding Xuexiang, Director of the General Office of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC), and Secretary of the Party Secretariat
  • Yi Gang, Director of the People's Bank of China
  • Yang Jiechi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee
  • He Lifeng, Director of the National Development and Reform Commission
  • Cui Tiankai, Chinese Ambassador to the US