Trump and Xi may meet in South Korea before or during the APEC summit in October, according to SCMP
The South China Morning Post said on Sunday, citing several sources, that U.S. President Donald Trump may travel to China prior to attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit from October 30 to November 1 or he may meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the APEC event in South Korea.
Global supply lines and trade have been disrupted by an increasingly intense tit-for-tat tariff war, which the two nations have been attempting to resolve through negotiations.
According to a person familiar with the situation, the two parties have talked about holding a possible gathering of the region’s leaders this year, but they have not yet committed to a time or place.
Trump has attempted to impose tariffs on almost all foreign goods imported into the United States, which he claims will boost home manufacturing. However, his opponents argue that this will increase the cost of numerous consumer goods for Americans.
He has advocated for a 10 percent universal base tariff on goods imported from all nations, with higher rates for those from the most “problematic” ones, such as China, where the maximum tariff rate is currently 55%.
Trump has given the United States and China until August 12 to come to a long-lasting tariff accord.
A request for comment regarding the rumored plans for an October meeting with Xi was not answered by a Trump spokesman.
The most recent high-level meeting between the two nations took place in Malaysia on July 11, when Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed how trade talks should move forward. Both men praised the discussion as fruitful and constructive.
At the time, Rubio stated that Trump and Xi had been invited to meet in China and that both leaders “want it to happen.”
China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao stated Friday that recent European discussions indicated a tariff war was unnecessary and that China aims to restore healthy trade relations with the United States.
