WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump and his top advisors are making preparations for a potential trip to South Korea’s Gyeongju next month to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, where a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping may take place. The possible meeting comes after a period of heightened tensions between Washington and Beijing, fueled by trade tariffs and Trump’s recent social media posts criticizing China.
According to a CNN report, White House officials have confirmed that serious discussions are underway for a bilateral meeting between Trump and Xi on the sidelines of the summit, which will be held in late October and early November. However, no official plans have been finalized. The potential visit follows a phone call last month in which Xi invited Trump and his wife to visit China, an invitation the U.S. President reciprocated.
A White House official told CNN that the purpose of the trip would be to focus on “economic collaboration.” The agenda would also include discussions on “trade, defense, and civil nuclear cooperation,” and the administration views the trip as an opportunity to secure additional economic investments in the U.S.
The invitation for Trump to attend the APEC summit was extended by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during a meeting with Trump last week. South Korea’s president also suggested that the summit could provide an opportunity for Trump to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, though a potential meeting with Xi is currently receiving more attention from U.S. officials.
The planned trip is particularly notable given Trump’s recent public statements. Following the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in China’s Tianjin last week, where Xi Jinping hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, Trump took to social media to express his discontent. In one post, he accused the leaders of “conspiring against The United States of America.” In another, he shared a photo of Xi, Putin, and Modi, lamenting, “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to the deepest, darkest, China.”
This potential meeting at the APEC Summit would mark a critical moment for U.S.-China relations, as both nations continue to engage in a back-and-forth over Trump’s tariffs, which have targeted China as a key part of his trade policy.