Donald Trump’s upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on October 30. That meeting was indeed made official by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in a scheduled briefing on Thursday. That tense meeting will happen on the sidelines of another pivotal high-level summit – the ASEAN leaders’ meeting in Tokyo. It would be the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since Trump assumed office again.
We’ve been looking forward to this meeting for many weeks. More importantly, it comes amidst a period of increased antagonism between the United States and China. As Trump starts a historic trip to Asia, we urge him to make a stop in Malaysia. There, he will participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. The impending talks between Trump and Xi will be critical, as both leaders face major domestic economic imperatives and increasing geopolitical pressures to cooperate with each other.
Leavitt emphasized the importance of the meeting, stating, “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.”
This meeting comes amidst the continued backdrop of Trump’s threats, though. This is on top of his plan to impose an extra 100% tariff on existing Chinese goods imports in November. This proposed tariff is, of course, dependent on China deciding to roll back its increased restrictions on rare earth exports. The United States and China are the world’s two largest economies. Their discussions, which are taking place as of this post, are extremely important to both countries and the stability of the global economy.
Trump’s wider trip to Asia reflects his administration’s ongoing efforts to engage with key partners in the region. Trade and security are the obvious focal points, but it may be a milestone for deeper ASEAN regional cooperation.
As the two leaders prepare for their meeting, the world watches closely to see how their discussions may shape future U.S.-China relations and impact global markets.