Trump's Inquiry: Is a Meeting with Xi planned for South Korea?
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, scheduled to begin on October 31, will see the meeting of US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The summit will be hosted by South Korea at the end of October 2025.
The APEC is a group of 21 economies, including the US, China, Russia, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. This will not be the first time Trump and Xi have met, having previously met in person in Osaka, Japan in 2019 and at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, USA in 2017.
The discussion in the call included trade, fentanyl, ending the war between Russia and Ukraine, and approving a TikTok deal. Trump wrote that they made progress on many important issues, but did not elaborate on what he meant by 'approval' regarding the TikTok deal. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stated that Trump and Xi would finalize the TikTok agreement in a conversation on Friday. However, China's statements regarding a potential TikTok deal remain vague.
China hopes that the US will provide a fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies investing there. Xi stated that China respects companies' wishes and supports them in negotiating and finding balanced solutions in accordance with market rules and Chinese laws.
The call between Trump and Xi was described as 'positive' and 'constructive.' Xi criticized unilateral trade restrictions by the US during the call. The US government has stated that there is a framework for a TikTok deal with China, where the current owner Bytedance is based.
Prior to the APEC summit, the fourth round of talks between China and US representatives took place this week in Madrid, Spain. These talks followed the escalation of the trade dispute earlier this year. Trump and Xi have agreed that Trump will visit China early next year, and Xi will come to the US at an appropriate time.
The APEC summit promises to be a significant event, with the potential for resolving trade issues and the future of TikTok hanging in the balance. The details of these meetings are eagerly awaited by the global community.
