The two leaders appeared together on Thursday, with Trump hailing Xi as a “ friend ” and “ great leader of a great country ” as they shook hands at Gimhae Air Base, the red carpet rolled out for their long- awaited reunion.

Standing behind them, with national flags fluttering behind, both leaders smiled and chatted for a few minutes as Trump welcomed his Chinese counterpart to his country. “We will have a fantastic relationship for a long time,” Trump told Xi, according to Chinese state media Xinhua.

Asked if the two sides could reach a trade deal, Trump replied: “Could be. We have a great understanding. We’ve always had a great relationship.”

“It’s a great honor to be with a friend of mine, really, for a long time now,” he added, sitting opposite Xi. “We’ve already agreed to a lot of things and we’ll agree to some more right now.”

A Confident Outlook

Trump appeared in good spirits as cameras rolled for the opening moments of the meeting. “We are going to have a very successful South Korea meeting, I have no doubt,” he said.

The mood was formal but relaxed, with the two delegations seated at a long table adorned with white and blue flowers and lined by public flags on either side.

Trump also suggested some progress might be made, telling journalists that a trade agreement could be inked latterly on Thursday. His commentary raised expedients of a temporary armistice, after months of tit- for- tat tariffs and import restrictions that have cast a heavy shadow over world trade.

Details of the conversations between the two leaders remain classified, but the tenor of the meeting bodes well for renewed sweats to move ahead. For numerous, this meeting was the first step in a new phase of US- China relations, one defined by a conservative sense of stopgap and the prospect of transnational tactfulness catching disharmony.