President Donald Trump has made an announcement that has shaken Washington, D.C.
On Friday, the president said that trade talks would be held between the United States and China on Monday in London.
“I am pleased to announce that Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and United States Trade Representative, Ambassador Jamieson Greer, will be meeting in London on Monday, June 9, 2025, with Representatives of China, with reference to the Trade Deal. The meeting should go very well. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” he said.
The announcement came a day after the president spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“I just concluded a very good phone call with President Xi, of China, discussing some of the intricacies of our recently made, and agreed to, Trade Deal,” he said after the phone call that lasted around an hour and a half, and said that it “resulted in a very positive conclusion for both Countries.”
In another post on Truth Social, the president described the Chinese president as “very tough.”
“I like President XI of China, always have, and always will, but he is VERY TOUGH, AND EXTREMELY HARD TO MAKE A DEAL WITH!!!” he said.
“I made a FAST DEAL with China in order to save them from what I thought was going to be a very bad situation, and I didn’t want to see that happen. Because of this deal, everything quickly stabilized and China got back to business as usual. Everybody was happy! That is the good news!” President Trump said.
“The bad news is that China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US. So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!” he said.
But not everything has been going swimmingly with the relationship between the United States and China in the past week.
Two Chinese nationals are facing multiple federal charges after allegedly smuggling a dangerous crop-destroying fungus into the United States, prompting serious national security concerns over potential agroterrorism.
According to a complaint filed Tuesday, the individuals—Yunqing Jian, 33, and Zunyong Liu, 34—are accused of bringing Fusarium graminearum into the country. The fungus is known to cause devastating plant diseases, particularly in corn, rice, and barley, and is considered a threat to the U.S. food supply.
The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr., who said the two Chinese researchers face charges of conspiracy, smuggling goods into the United States, making false statements, and visa fraud.
Court documents reveal that one of the men had hidden samples of the fungus in his backpack while entering the U.S., a move federal authorities say could have had severe consequences for American agriculture.
“The alleged actions of these Chinese nationals — including a loyal member of the Chinese Communist Party — are of the gravest national security concerns,” Gorgon said in a statement. “These two aliens have been charged with smuggling a fungus that has been described as a ‘potential agroterrorism weapon’ into the heartland of America.”
According to an FBI affidavit, the researchers intended to study the fungus at a University of Michigan laboratory, though the specific purpose of their research was not disclosed. The complaint notes that Yunqing Jian had received funding from the Chinese government to conduct work on the pathogen while in China.
FBI Director Kash Patel suggested the incident may signal a broader effort by the Chinese Communist Party to target the U.S. food supply.
“I can confirm that the FBI arrested a Chinese national within the United States who allegedly smuggled a dangerous biological pathogen into the country,” Patel said in a statement posted to his X account.
“… This fungus can cause a disease called ‘head blight,’ a disease of wheat, barley, maize, and rice, causing significant health issues in both humans and livestock. It is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year,” he added.