President Donald Trump of the United States met with President Xi Jinping of China on Thursday morning (local time) in South Korea. The long-awaited meeting between the two presidents took place at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. It was the first time the two leaders had talked in person since President Trump entered office again.
The meeting started with a handshake, smiles, and a chance to take pictures. This struck a cautious but friendly tone after months of bad economic relations.
President Trump told reporters right away that he was sure the meeting would go well. “We’re going to have a very successful meeting, I have no doubt,” he said. He swiftly added a note of respect and possible trouble in negotiations, saying, “But he is a very tough negotiator, and that’s not good.”
As the two leaders and their teams got ready to talk, President Trump said again how much he respected the Chinese President. He called Xi Jinping a “friend” of his “for a long time now.”
The U.S. President spoke directly to his Chinese counterpart and praised him highly: “The very distinguished and respected President of China. We will be having some discussions. I think we have already agreed to many things, and we will agree to some more right now.” President Xi is a terrific leader of a great country, and I think our relationship will be excellent for a long time. It’s an honor to have you with us.
Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, and Howard Lutnick, the US Secretary of Commerce, were part of the US group that went with President Trump. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and other high-ranking officials were part of President Xi Jinping’s delegation at the negotiation table. Many people think that the summit is a significant chance to calm down the growing trade war and improve the economic relationship between the two biggest economies in the world.