US President Donald Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week during his visit to Asia, the White House confirmed on Thursday. Press secretary Caroline Leavitt said Trump will fly to Malaysia late Friday night before heading to South Korea for a meeting with Xi Jinping next Thursday (October 30).
The talks — the first between the two leaders in Trump’s second term — are expected to focus on trade, China’s relationship with Russia and efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Trump said on Wednesday (October 23) that he expected to reach several agreements with Xi on issues ranging from soybean purchases and trade tensions to nuclear arms control and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Trump says we will “make a deal” with Xi
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump expressed optimism about the upcoming meeting.
“I think we will come to an agreement,” he said, suggesting that Xi had changed his stance on the Ukraine conflict.
“Now he would like — I’m not sure he did at the beginning — now he would like the war to end,” Trump added.
Rare Earth Trade and Tensions
Trump played down the impact of China’s restrictions on rare-earth magnets, which have unsettled global markets.
“It’s a disruption,” Trump said, adding that tariffs are a stronger issue in managing trade relations with Beijing.
The president, facing growing pressure from US farmers hurt by falling soybean exports, said he expected progress on farm trade.
“We expect to reach some kind of agreement with Xi on this matter,” Trump noted.
He also hinted at potential cooperation on nuclear arms control, pointing to recent discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“A deal was possible on nuclear weapons as well,” Trump said, hinting that China could join talks to ease tensions with the US and Russia.
A fragile truce in jeopardy
Just a month after Trump hailed “progress” in talks with China, Washington and Beijing are now scrambling to salvage a planned summit between Trump and Xi Jinping. Both powers share the blame for the sharp escalation in tensions, threatening the fragile truce.
“China believes that negotiations alone are insufficient and that effective countermeasures against the United States are necessary to prevent the US from exerting pressure,” said Wu Xinbo, director of the Center for American Studies at Fudan University.
Rare earths at the heart of the stalemate
The long-simmering trade war between the US and China flared up again in early October after Beijing tightened export restrictions on rare earths – minerals essential to high-tech manufacturing. In response, President Donald Trump announced on October 11 that the United States would impose a 100% tariff on all Chinese imports, “on top of any tariff currently in place”, effective on or before November 1.
Beijing quickly condemned Washington’s move, saying it was “opposed to the US implementing unilateral long-arm jurisdiction measures” and warned it would “take decisive measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests” if the US went ahead.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is considering further steps to tighten pressure on China, including new restrictions on US software exports, Reuters reported, citing US officials and individuals briefed on the discussions. The proposed measures could cover a wide range of products — from laptops to jet engines — and are part of a broader effort to escalate Washington’s response to Beijing’s latest trade actions.
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US officials head to Asia ahead of Trump-Xi meeting
Top administration officials — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer — traveled to Malaysia on Wednesday to ease tensions over Beijing’s export curbs.
“This is China versus the world. It’s not just up to the US,” Bessent told Fox Business Network, describing China’s rare earth export licensing plan as “unfeasible and unacceptable.”
He added that the US and its allies were considering options if Beijing refused to compromise, though he elaborated.
“I hope we can resolve this this weekend so that the leaders can enter the negotiations on a more positive note,” he said.
Bessent said he remains confident the preparatory talks will pave the way for productive discussions.
“The president holds Xi in high esteem,” Bessent said, “and we are optimistic that two days of full talks will lay the groundwork for a good meeting.”
Trump’s Asia tour itinerary
Trump is expected to attend the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday (October 26) before traveling to South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit from October 31 to November 1 in Gyeongju.
The US president will also visit Japan to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, her first face-to-face meeting since taking office.
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