Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday that he has reached an agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet at the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea. The announcement came shortly after Trump held what he described as "very productive" phone talks with Xi.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Trump shared the news of the agreement via a social media post on Truth Social, highlighting that both leaders are looking forward to their encounter at the multilateral gathering in Gyeongju, South Korea, scheduled for October 31 to November 1. However, it remains uncertain whether their meeting will be a formal summit or a more informal encounter on the sidelines of the APEC event.
If the meeting takes place as planned, it would mark the first in-person interaction between Trump and Xi since their meeting at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, in June 2019. The prospect of the two superpower leaders meeting is expected to attract significant international attention, with potential implications for global trade, security, and other critical issues.
The backdrop of the APEC summit includes South Korea's efforts under President Lee Jae Myung's administration to solidify the bilateral alliance with the United States while maintaining stable relations with China. This aligns with Lee's "pragmatic" foreign policy agenda.
During the phone call, Trump and Xi also agreed on Trump's planned visit to China early next year and a reciprocal visit by Xi to the U.S. "at an appropriate time." The last presidential trip to China by Trump occurred in November 2017, while Xi visited Florida for a meeting with Trump in April 2017.
In addition to the summit plans, Trump mentioned that their discussions covered several significant issues, including the future of the social media platform TikTok, trade relations, the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the fentanyl crisis. Although Trump acknowledged "progress" on these matters, he did not provide further details.
In relation to TikTok, the U.S. Congress passed legislation last year that would ban the platform's service in the U.S. unless its parent company, ByteDance, relinquishes control. This legislation stemmed from concerns about potential security risks and data privacy issues. Despite the law, Trump has postponed the ban while negotiations continue.
Following recent trade talks in Madrid, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that Washington has established a "framework" for a possible agreement with Beijing regarding TikTok. Meanwhile, China's Xinhua News Agency reported that Xi emphasized Beijing's "clear" stance on the TikTok issue, supporting negotiations that align with market rules and Chinese regulations.
On trade matters, Xi urged the U.S. to refrain from imposing "unilateral" trade restrictions, which could jeopardize the progress achieved through multiple consultations. Xinhua described the leaders' conversation as "pragmatic, positive and constructive."