Trump Sees Successful Xi Meeting, But Allows It Might Not Happen
US President Donald Trump predicted an upcoming meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, would yield a “good deal” on trade — while also conceding that the highly anticipated talks may not happen.
“I have a great relationship with President Xi. I expect to be able to make a good deal with him,” Trump said Tuesday during a lunch with Republican lawmakers in the White House Rose Garden. “I want him to make a good deal for China — but it’s got to be fair.”
While Trump foresaw the sit-down as being “very successful,” he said the possibility remains that it could fail to materialize. The two leaders are scheduled to meet later this month at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea.
“Maybe it won’t happen,” Trump said. “Things can happen where, for instance, maybe somebody will say, ‘I don’t want to meet, it’s too nasty.’ But it’s really not nasty. It’s just business.”
The date and time for the anticipated leaders meeting has not yet been announced, though the US leader said it would be in about two weeks.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is expected to huddle with his Chinese counterparts over the weekend ahead of the Trump-Xi talks to discuss a deescalation of trade tensions, with China recently announcing fresh curbs on the export of rare earth materials and Trump threatening to dramatically increase tariffs on Chinese goods.
Trump has said both subjects — as well as fentanyl, soybeans, and Taiwan — are likely to be on the agenda for the talks.
Source : Bloomberg.com
