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Former President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States will welcome 600,000 Chinese students to colleges in the U.S. in what may be a sign of warming U.S.-China relations.

The announcement came amid ongoing trade discussions and Trump’s tariffs on Chinese products. The United States, he said, would continue with “high tariffs” on China, and Trump doubled down on Chinese tariffs from 145 percent to 200 percent, including on Chinese-made magnets, last week.

Trump spoke Monday morning at the White House. “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,” he said.

Beijing imposed a 125 percent tariff on U.S. exports, and his administration had considered rolling back or “lifting all tariffs” for the sake of better relations, he added.

While trade negotiators are talking and some temporary progress is being made, Trump has also put a range of other Chinese products on notice for a potential 25 percent tariff this year, including solar panels, electric vehicles, and semiconductors.

About 270,000 Chinese students attend American colleges, according to The Associated Press. He also said that he thought it was important to allow the students into the United States and that he had “always been in favor” of welcoming them to American universities.

The Latest in a Series of Mixed Messages

The move appears to be a softening of a May statement made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “We’re going to aggressively revoke those visas where people are found to be involved in some effort to conduct espionage in the United States,” Rubio said during a meeting with the CCP and Chinese researchers. “Our preference is to find people who shouldn’t be in the country and kick them out. But that may not be possible, given the laws.”

In June, Trump said that he “heard that” from Rubio, and added, “I have always been in favor of allowing their students in. I think it’s very important for that to happen.”

On Monday, he doubled down on Monday and offered an even more generous figure than in the past, and if that number is reached, it will represent more than double the number currently enrolled.

Rubio had signaled a broad revocation effort on Chinese visas, a move many U.S. universities fear would harm academic exchange and strip the country of a key source of tuition revenue. The U.S. portion of international enrollments, and the revenue it generates for universities and state and local economies, is led by Chinese students, who make up a third of all international students.

At the time, university leaders quickly voiced their opposition and sought to find a more nuanced approach that would not slow the inflow of foreign students.

The 600,000 Chinese students Trump mentioned on Monday do not include Chinese people who are not in a student status, such as researchers. He has also raised the possibility of opening talks on trade with Beijing.

Trump said to Xi, Biden in June that a ‘deal’ Would be reached ‘Fast’

Trump told a crowd in the Oval Office that he would like to sit down with Chinese President Xi Jinping this year.

Trump has previously expressed interest in meeting with Xi, including in June. “We have a deal being worked out right now, we’re negotiating,” Trump told reporters. “We think it will happen, but I think it will happen fast.”

The U.S. president added that he also believed he was on the phone with Xi on the anniversary of the coronavirus vaccine, and “he will be very happy to take your call.” He said he and Xi would “probably” meet this summer.

China has long been interested in developing its own state-owned enterprise, and Trump said the two leaders will discuss expanding cooperation on intellectual property rights, education, research and development, and other key areas.<|endoftext|>It’s no secret that the housing market has been booming. The skyrocketing prices have made it challenging for many Americans to get onto the property ladder, but new data suggests that those with an apartment or two to spare may be able to cash in on the high demand.

Apartment Flipping Shows Signs of Revival

High housing prices have long made it difficult for many Americans to get onto the property ladder. Despite efforts to improve affordability and housing supply, the situation doesn’t seem to have gotten any better so far this year.

That’s not to say that no one has found ways to cash in on the housing market. Investors have managed to find opportunities and make money. According to real estate website Apartment Guide, one of these is apartment flipping.

Data from the site shows that the apartment flipping rate has seen signs of a revival in the last quarter of last year. It has since reached a high not seen in the last 10 years. Apartment Guide reported that:

“A rising rental market has given investors in certain parts of the country a reason to cash in their chips and sell properties. New home sales that were the focus of the first two quarters of 2021 gave way to investor resales by the end of the third. The share of flips as a percentage of sales, known as the flip ratio, hit 5.9% at the end of Q3, not seen since 2013.”

Top States for Apartment Flipping

Apartment Guide ranked all 50 states in terms of which offer the most lucrative opportunities for apartment flipping.

Colorado was ranked number one on the list, with Montana, North Dakota, Utah, and Idaho rounding off the top five. While the coronavirus pandemic and tight housing supply led to record-low apartment flipping rates in the second quarter of 2020, Colorado saw an increase of 112 percent from the previous quarter. Furthermore, the flip ratio in the state increased by 26 percent from 5.9 percent to 7.4 percent.

Arkansas, Nebraska, and Tennessee are the three states that saw the lowest level of increases in flipping from the previous quarter. They are ranked 44th, 45th, and 50th on the list, respectively.