U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he expects to reach a “good” trade agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their planned meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea next week. However, he cautioned that the encounter could still be called off.
Speaking at a lunch with Republican senators at the White House, Trump said, “So now we’re going to have a fair deal, and I think we’re going to have a very successful meeting.
Certainly, there are a lot of people who are waiting for it.” He added, however, “Maybe it won’t happen. Things can happen where, for instance, maybe somebody will say, ‘I don’t want to meet. It’s too nasty.’ But it’s really not nasty.”
The meeting between Trump and Xi, if it proceeds, would mark their first direct talks since Trump’s return to the White House. He first announced plans for the summit on September 19, saying he would meet Xi in South Korea and visit China early next year.
Tensions between the two nations have fluctuated in recent weeks. On October 10, Trump threatened to cancel the talks and impose steep tariffs after Beijing implemented export restrictions on rare earth minerals.
He later softened his stance, saying on Monday that the meeting was “sort of set” and that his China visit would take place “fairly early next year.”
Trump’s shifting approach toward Xi mirrors his inconsistent messaging with other world leaders. Last week, he said he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Budapest within two weeks to discuss the war in Ukraine, but the White House confirmed on Tuesday that no such meeting was scheduled in the immediate future.
Despite the uncertainty, the planned Trump-Xi meeting is seen as a potential step toward easing trade tensions and restoring stability in global markets.
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