United States President Donald Trump may visit China before attending the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, scheduled from October 30 to November 1, or he could meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the event in South Korea. This was reported by the South China Morning Post on Sunday, citing multiple sources.
The two nations have been actively negotiating to end an escalating tit-for-tat tariff dispute that has disrupted global trade and supply chains. According to an individual familiar with the matter, discussions have taken place regarding a potential meeting between the leaders in the region this year, although a specific date or location has yet to be confirmed.
Trump has sought to impose tariffs on US importers for nearly all foreign goods, claiming it will stimulate domestic manufacturing. Critics, however, contend that such measures will increase the cost of many consumer goods for Americans. He has advocated for a universal base tariff rate of 10% on goods imported from all countries, with higher rates for imports from those deemed “most problematic,” including China, where imports currently face the highest tariff rate of 55%.
Trump has set an August 12 deadline for the US and China to reach a lasting tariff agreement. A spokesperson for Trump did not respond to a request for comment regarding the reported plans for an autumn meeting with Xi.
The most recent high-level engagement between the two countries occurred on July 11, when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held what both described as a productive and positive meeting in Malaysia to discuss the path forward for trade negotiations. Rubio stated at that time that Trump had been invited to China to meet with Xi, and emphasized that both leaders “want it to happen.” On Friday, China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao expressed China’s desire to stabilize its trade ties with the US, adding that recent talks in Europe indicated there was no necessity for a tariff war.
