High on agenda for the leaders of the US and China will be rare earths and tariffs, with a chance of a relationship reset Ahead of Thursday’s long-awaited first meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping since the US president’s return to office, officials from both sides have been hammering out the contours of what a trade deal between Washington and Beijing might look like, an agreement that could bring an end to months of global economic chaos caused by the US-China trade war. The two leaders have not met…
Tag: Xi Jinping
Trump and Xi talks: what will be on the agenda when US president meets China’s leader?
Donald Trump is scheduled to meet China’s Xi Jinping in South Korea this week for high stakes talks amid a bruising trade war and tense geopolitical backdrop. Trump is expected to meet Xi on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit on Thursday on the final day of his Asia visit, which includes stops in Malaysia and Japan. “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us,” Trump told reporters as he embarked on the trip.…
South Korea grapples with surge in anti-China sentiment as Xi Jinping prepares to fly in
Thousands of protesters flooded central Seoul on Saturday, waving Korean and American flags, Maga hats, and banners honouring slain rightwing activist Charlie Kirk. They held placards reading “Korea for Koreans” as chants of “China out” and “send the communists away” blended with an anti-Chinese racial slur. These rallies mark an escalation in anti-China sentiment that comes at a supremely awkward time for South Korea, just days before it is due to host Chinese president Xi Jinping in the south-eastern city of Gyeongju for the Apec summit, where he is set…
US and China agree ‘framework’ for trade deal ahead of Xi-Trump meeting
The US and China have agreed a framework for a trade deal just days before Donald Trump and Chines president Xi Jinping are due to meet. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said the agreement, forged on the sidelines of the Association of south-east Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Malaysia on Sunday, would remove the threat of the imposition of 100% tariffs on Chinese imports starting on 1 November and include “a final deal” on the sale of TikTok in the US. Trump arrived in Malaysia on Sunday for the summit, his…
US and China reach ‘final deal’ on TikTok sale, treasury secretary says
US treasury secretary Scott Bessent claimed on Sunday that the US and China have finalized the details of a deal transferring TikTok’s US version to new owners. “We reached a final deal on TikTok,” Bessent said on Sunday on CBS’s Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan. Alluding to Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, Bessent continued: “We reached [a deal] in Madrid, and I believe that as of today, all the details are ironed out, and that will be for the two leaders to consummate that transaction” during…
Trump says he would be open to meeting Kim Jong-un as he embarks on whirlwind Asia tour
Donald Trump has embarked on a tour of Asia where he is expected to take part in high-stakes trade talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping – telling reporters that he was also open to a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Trump, who left Washington on Friday night, is set for a five-day trip to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, his first to the region since taking office in January. Trump is set to meet Xi on the last day of his trip to seal a deal to end…
Trump in Asia: five key questions as US president prepares for diplomatic tour
Donald Trump is about to embark on a tour of Asia that many hope will ease trade tensions with countries in the region and repair damaged ties with China. Trump will begin his trip on Sunday at a meeting of south-east Asian nations in Malaysia, before flying to Japan to meet its new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, early next week. But the most important stop on his itinerary will come at the end of the month, when he is expected to discuss trade, and possibly Taiwan, with Chinese leader Xi…
Trump says China ‘doesn’t want’ to invade Taiwan and reaffirms trust in Xi
Donald Trump has expressed doubt on Monday that China would invade Taiwan as he voiced confidence in his relationship with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, whom he will meet later this month. Trump was asked about an earlier Pentagon assessment that Xi could in the next six years attempt to seize Taiwan, a self-governing democracy claimed by China. “I think we’ll be just fine with China. China doesn’t want to do that,” Trump told reporters as he met the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese. Speaking of Xi’s designs on Taiwan,…
‘A high-level operator’: Cai Qi’s rapid rise to become Xi Jinping’s right-hand man
In a world of identikit bureaucrats, Cai Qi, the man described as Xi Jinping’s top lieutenant and recently revealed as the suspected ringleader of an alleged Westminster Chinese spy ring, stands out. As the fifth-ranking member on the standing committee of the Chinese Communist party’s (CCP) ruling politburo, Cai is one of the most powerful people in China. But his importance outstrips even his senior title, because as the Chinese leader’s de facto chief of staff, he is also effectively the gatekeeper and right-hand man to Xi himself. Unlike other…
The Guardian view on the China spy trial: an opportunity for Labour to prove it understands the threat from Beijing | Editorial
No single word describes the challenge that China poses for UK foreign policy. There is threat and opportunity; a requirement to engage and an imperative to be guarded. The Communist party in Beijing represses dissent and pursues its interests overseas with coercive nationalist determination. It is not a regime with which Britain can build a relationship based on common values. But China is also a superpower with near-monopoly control of some mineral resources and pre-eminence in important manufacturing supply chains. Trusting friendship is not an option; hostile rejection is unrealistic.…