Trump To Meet Xi Jinping During Asia Trip

The White House has confirmed that President Donald Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during his Asia trip next week. Although preparations for the meeting had been underway for weeks, growing friction between the world’s two largest economies had cast doubt on whether it would take place. The U.S.–China trade war has been ongoing for months, with tensions escalating after China imposed restrictions on the export of rare earth minerals in October in response to what it called Trump’s “unfair tariffs.”

Despite the strained relations, Trump has recently expressed optimism about the possibility of reaching a new trade deal with Beijing. As part of his Asia tour, Trump will first meet Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday. He will then travel to Tokyo on Monday for talks with Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, scheduled for Tuesday. On Wednesday, Trump will head to South Korea to meet President Lee Jae Myung, address top business executives at an APEC CEO luncheon, and attend a working dinner with U.S. and APEC leaders.

“On Thursday morning local time, President Trump will participate in a bilateral meeting with President Xi of the People’s Republic of China, before departing to return home,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said. It will mark the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders since Trump’s return to office. China’s Commerce Minister expressed optimism on Friday about the upcoming talks, according to BBC report.

Trump has said that a direct conversation with Xi is the most effective way to resolve the issues between the two nations. He also noted that the first topic he intends to raise with the Chinese leader will be fentanyl. Washington has long accused Beijing of failing to do enough to curb the export of chemicals used to manufacture the drug, which has fueled a surge in overdose deaths across the United States.