Trump-Xi Jinping meeting: President Donald Trump met his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, for talks on a possible trade war truce between the US and China. The meeting took place in Busan.
“THE G2 WILL BE CONVENING SHORTLY!” Trump posted on Truth Social, minutes before meeting Xi Jinping. The 79-year-old has repeatedly spoken about reaching an agreement with the CPC chief. Their talks are taking place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea.
Trump and Xi entered the room from opposite sides, shook hands, and briefly greeted the press. “We’re going to have a very successful meeting, I have no doubt,” Trump said. “But he’s a very tough negotiator, that’s no good.”
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The American president had other officials with him for the meeting. They included US Ambassador to China David Perdue, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
However, an expert noted that the Trump-Xi meeting is unlikely to yield any result. Emily Kilcrease, a senior fellow and director of the Energy, Economics and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, said: “It’s important to be clear that there’s no expectation that this meeting is going to address some of the core structural issues in the US-China economic relationship.”
{{/usCountry}}However, an expert noted that the Trump-Xi meeting is unlikely to yield any result. Emily Kilcrease, a senior fellow and director of the Energy, Economics and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, said: “It’s important to be clear that there’s no expectation that this meeting is going to address some of the core structural issues in the US-China economic relationship.”
{{/usCountry}}She further told NBC News, “We are talking about de-escalation of the measures that both sides have taken since the start of the Trump administration in this kind of escalating trade war.”
Another expert told the publication that Trump seems to view Xi more favorably than many China hard-liners in Washington
“He seems to think of Xi not as an avatar of imperial ambition, but rather as the head of an impressive rival business company,” Ali Wyne, senior US-China research and advocacy adviser at the International Crisis Group, said.
“My own personal hope is that President Trump and President Xi, they leverage mutual vulnerability as a gateway to mutual restraint,” he added.