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The U.S. will allow 600,000 students from China to study at colleges in the U.S., former President Donald Trump said Monday, a pledge that offers a potential olive branch to Beijing during a months-long standoff over tariffs.

Trump, who is still considering another run for the White House in 2024, told reporters at the White House that he had instructed the State Department to let more students from China come to the U.S., even as his administration has continued to escalate its warnings and tariffs on Chinese goods.

“I hear so many stories that we’re not going to allow their students. We’re going to allow their students to come in. It’s very important, 600,000 students. It’s very important. But we’re going to get along with China,” Trump said.

Trump also acknowledged that he had discussed the tariff issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping over the weekend. U.S. and Chinese negotiators have been working for months to end the back-and-forth tariffs the two countries have placed on each other.

In March, Washington put a 145 percent tariff on all Chinese goods coming to the U.S., while China imposed a 125 percent tariff on U.S. exports. Each new round of tariffs has intensified fears of a long-term economic standoff between the world’s two biggest economies.

Negotiators in Geneva reached an agreement in May to stop imposing new tariffs, and Trump has repeatedly mused about more penalties in recent weeks. Last week, the U.S. was considering a 200 percent tariff on Chinese-made magnets, Trump said, because China has a near-total monopoly on the products. Trump said the U.S. would need a year to develop its own magnet industry.

“China, intelligently, went and they sort of took a monopoly on the world’s magnets,” Trump said. “It’ll probably take us a year to have them.”

For now, around 270,000 Chinese students are enrolled in American universities. Allowing 600,000 would be a massive influx of talent and tuition revenue for schools across the U.S., many of which have seen a drop in enrollment and revenue over the last few years as their international enrollments have shrunk.

Trump Had Promised A Visa Crackdown Earlier

Trump’s Monday comments come after his administration had raised the prospect of cracking down on visas for Chinese students in recent months. In May, Rubio had said the U.S. would “aggressively revoke” visas for Chinese nationals, particularly those working in sensitive research areas or at companies affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party. Universities raised the alarm at the time, concerned about the impact that an exodus of Chinese talent and money would have on their operations.

Trump himself appeared to reverse course the following month, telling reporters that he had “always been in favor” of allowing Chinese students into the U.S. On Monday, he doubled down on that promise, telling reporters it would be “very important” for the U.S. to maintain academic exchange.

Trump made the announcement just ahead of a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who is in town for a state visit. When asked if he was open to meeting with Xi Jinping, Trump sounded willing. “I would like to meet him this year,” Trump said. “We should never stop talking.”

“It’s a very important relationship,” Trump added. “As you know, we’re taking a lot of money in from China because of the tariffs and the different things. It’s a very important relationship. It’s a much better relationship economically than it was before with Biden. But he allowed that. They just took him to the cleaners.”

Trump paired his remarks on students with a fresh round of harsh rhetoric about tariffs, making clear his administration has no intention of backing down on economic issues with Beijing. But he has made clear that the administration was open to allowing students to come to the U.S. even as the diplomatic climate deteriorates.

At the same time, Trump’s comments on Sunday offered a reminder of how he has largely left it up to Congress to work out a resolution on tariffs. Trump’s administration will have to follow through by issuing new visas for Chinese students for his pledge to actually make a difference in U.S.-China relations.