The meeting with Xi Jinping is to be the culmination of Donald Trump's Asian trip, which will start on Friday. The US president will visit Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, where he will meet with the leaders of these countries. He will attend the ASEAN summit in Malaysia and deliver a speech at the APEC forum in Busan, South Korea.
The talks between two world leaders will take place in an atmosphere of tension related to the escalating trade war. China recently announced restrictions on the export of rare earth metals, including a ban on their use in the arms industry. In response, Donald Trump announced the imposition of a 100 percent tariff on Chinese goods, which is to take effect on November 1, the day after the meeting.
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The US President also expressed readiness to introduce his own export restrictions, including: aircraft parts and software. According to Trump, Beijing's decision was the result of what he called Xi's “bad day.”
Despite the tightening of the rhetoric, the US president has repeatedly emphasized his belief that an agreement will be reached. He praised Xi Jinping as “a respected man” and “a strong leader of a large country“.
Not just the economy. Donald Trump also wants to talk about Ukraine
On Wednesday, he announced that the talks would cover not only trade issues, but also the war in Ukraine. Donald Trump believes that Xi Jinping can play an important role in influencing Vladimir Putin.
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— I think he (Xi) can have a big influence on Putin. He is a very strong leader of a very large country. And we will certainly talk about Russia and Ukraine, he said during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutt. On this occasion, he also criticized his predecessors for policies that, in his opinion, brought Russia and China closer together.
Donald Trump's meeting with Xi Jinping at APEC. Not entirely sure
It is worth noting that there were moments when it seemed that the meeting planned for months might not take place. Two weeks ago, President Trump wrote on the Truth Social social networking site that he sees no reason to meet with China's leader.
“Very strange things are happening in China! They are becoming very hostile and sending letters to countries around the world saying they want to impose export controls on every element of production related to rare earth metals and virtually anything else they can think of, even if it is not produced in China,” Trump wrote.
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“It was a real surprise, not only for me, but for all the leaders of the free world. I was supposed to meet President Xi in two weeks at APEC in South Korea, but now there seems to be no reason to do so“- he added.
The post sparked speculation that the meeting would not take place. They were fueled by Trump himself, who, when asked by journalists about the above-mentioned entry, said that although he had not canceled the meeting, he did not know whether it would take place.
“No, I didn't cancel (the meeting), but I don't know if it will happen. But I'll be there anyway, so I assume it can happen“- he said.
