Leaders of Pacific countries and territories, including China’s Xi Jinping, are gathering in South Korea for a major summit Friday. But the leader of one global powerhouse is conspicuously absent: Donald Trump.

The one-year agreement also addresses other issues, such as U.S. access to critical rare earth minerals and the Chinese soybean market, Trump said. The fate of social media platform TikTok remains unclear after the deal, but a thaw in tensions could influence a potential sale, some experts said.

China has repackaged Xinjiang into a tourist haven, touting "ethnic" experiences that activists say it's trying to erase.

Trump announced a cut on Chinese imports after meeting with Xi in South Korea, citing new understandings on fentanyl enforcement, farm trade and rare-earth exports.

"China, which takes more than 60% of world soybean imports, has nearly completed booking cargoes from Brazil and Argentina through November, with limited purchases expected for December and January ahead of the Brazilian harvest.

An elementary school in Yimianpo is now a storage yard. The number of children in the town has dropped by half and there are fewer than three births per 1,000 residents in the province — China's lowest rate.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urges Southeast Asian nations to strengthen their maritime forces to counter China's actions in the South China Sea.

Chinese scientists have reportedly developed a new prototype “morphing” hypersonic vehicle that can fly faster than Mach 5 (6,174 kph). According to reports, this new technology can change shape mid-flight.