UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Donald Trump’s summit delay casts pall over U.S.-China trade truce
Q1. With reference to the October 2025 U.S.–China 'Busan' trade truce, consider the following minerals/materials:
1. Gallium
2. Lithium
3. Antimony
4. Cobalt
For which of the above did China agree to issue 'general export licenses' to U.S. end-users as part of the truce? Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified as items covered by that licensing commitment?
- Gallium
- Lithium
- Antimony
- Cobalt
- A. 1 and 3 only
- B. 2 and 4 only
- C. 1, 2 and 4 only
- D. 3 and 4 only
Q2. Within the context of the October 2025 U.S.–China trade truce announced at the Busan summit, the U.S. reduction of the tariff rate from 20% to 10% specifically pertained to Chinese imports linked to which one of the following?
- A. Precursor chemicals related to fentanyl
- B. Electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries
- C. Solar photovoltaic cells and modules
- D. Steel and aluminium products
Q3. With reference to the originally-planned Trump–Xi Beijing summit of 2026 and the rescheduled summit that ultimately took place, consider the following statements:
1. The originally-planned summit was slated for the end of March 2026, but was postponed at the U.S. President's request.
2. The reason cited by the U.S. President for the postponement was the ongoing U.S.–Iran conflict.
3. The rescheduled summit eventually took place in Seoul, on the sidelines of the APEC leaders' meeting.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- The originally-planned summit was slated for the end of March 2026, but was postponed at the U.S. President's request.
- The reason cited by the U.S. President for the postponement was the ongoing U.S.–Iran conflict.
- The rescheduled summit eventually took place in Seoul, on the sidelines of the APEC leaders' meeting.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 2 and 3 only
- C. 1 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q4. As an outcome of the October 2025 Busan summit between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, by approximately how many percentage points was the overall U.S. tariff rate on Chinese imports reduced?
- A. About 5 percentage points
- B. About 10 percentage points
- C. About 17 percentage points
- D. About 25 percentage points
Q5. With reference to the commitments made by China under the October 2025 U.S.–China trade truce reached at the Busan summit, consider the following:
1. Resumption of large-scale purchases of U.S. soybeans and other agricultural goods.
2. Suspension of retaliatory tariffs that China had imposed on U.S. farm products since March 2025.
3. Lifting of all Chinese restrictions on imports of U.S. advanced semiconductors.
4. A pause on newly-announced Chinese export curbs on rare earths and related critical materials.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified as Chinese commitments under the Busan truce?
- Resumption of large-scale purchases of U.S. soybeans and other agricultural goods.
- Suspension of retaliatory tariffs that China had imposed on U.S. farm products since March 2025.
- Lifting of all Chinese restrictions on imports of U.S. advanced semiconductors.
- A pause on newly-announced Chinese export curbs on rare earths and related critical materials.
- A. 1, 2 and 4 only
- B. 1, 3 and 4 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4