Donald Trump, Xi Jinping Meet In South Korea After Six Years Amid Trade Tensions: All You Need To Know

For the first time in six years, US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met face-to-face on Thursday on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea. The high-stakes meeting aimed to ease trade tensions and rebuild stability between the world’s two largest economies.

“We know each other very well, we have a great relationship. Good to see him again. We could sign a trade deal today,” Trump told reporters as the two leaders shook hands before the talks. Their last one-on-one meeting took place in 2019 during the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan.

At the start of the meeting, Trump praised Xi, calling him “a great leader of a great country.” He said the two sides had “already agreed to a lot of things” and expressed confidence in achieving a “fantastic relationship for a long period of time.”

Xi, in his opening remarks, acknowledged that China and the US “do not always see eye to eye,” saying such disagreements were normal between major powers. “Given our different national conditions, we do not always see eye to eye with each other, and it is normal for the two leading economies of the world to have frictions now and then,” he said.

Xi emphasised that Beijing and Washington should be “partners and friends,” adding, “This is what history has taught us and what reality demands.” He also praised Trump for his role in brokering the Gaza peace deal and the recent breakthrough in the Thailand–Cambodia border conflict, saying both nations should “jointly shoulder our responsibility as major countries.”

The leaders are expected to discuss a wide range of issues, including tariffs, fentanyl trafficking, and technology exports. Trump has hinted at easing some tariffs in exchange for China’s cooperation on curbing fentanyl production.

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