Finding it hard to reach a resolution of its trade dispute with the US after Trump suspended talks, Canada turns to other major economies.

But on Thursday, Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached an agreement. It amounts to China buying 12 million metric tons of soybeans this year, and at least 25 million metric tons over each of the next three years. That would ultimately return purchasing volume to the levels seen prior to the trade war.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth leaves after a bilateral meeting with Malaysia's Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin ahead of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025. | Dita Alangkara

China’s defense ministry issued a cautious response, emphasizing its longstanding positions. Dong Jun stressed the reunification of China and Taiwan is an “unstoppable historical trend” and urged the U.S. to be cautious in its words and actions on the Taiwan issue, the statement said.

President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trade truce avoids an open rupture in US China trade relations but analysts say it’s more of a de-escalation than progress.

President Lai Ching-te rejected Beijing’s latest push to get the self-governing island to come under Chinese control under a system of autonomy it uses for Hong Kong and Macau.

A meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in South Korea on Friday "marked a turning point in the bilateral relationship," Carney's office announced. The two leaders met on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju.