Reuters (File) Photo: US President Donald Trump attended a bilateral meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping during the G20 leaders’ summit in Osaka, Japan, on June 29, 2019
Source: Aljazeera
DST News: The White House has announced that US President Donald Trump will hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea next week, ahead of a major regional economic summit.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Thursday that Trump and Xi will meet for a bilateral discussion in South Korea on the morning of October 30, before Trump returns to Washington. The meeting will take place just one day before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit convenes in Gyeongju on October 31 and November 1.
Leavitt did not specify whether Trump would attend the APEC gathering, which promotes free trade and cooperation among 21 Pacific Rim economies.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said he and Xi “have a pretty long meeting scheduled” and expressed optimism about easing tensions between Washington and Beijing. “I think something will work out,” he said. “We have a very good relationship, but that will be a big one. We hope to work out a lot of our doubts and questions.”
The meeting comes amid mounting trade friction between the two global powers. The Trump administration recently imposed a 30 percent tariff on Chinese imports and has warned of further duties if negotiations fail to produce progress.
Trump also stated that he plans to press Xi to halt Chinese companies’ purchases of Russian oil, following his decision to impose new sanctions on Moscow earlier this week — his first since returning to the presidency.
