“A Lot to Talk About”: Trump and Xi to Meet Thursday in South Korea

US President Donald Trump has confirmed he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday in South Korea, stating that the two leaders have “a lot to talk about.”
Speaking from Tokyo, Trump was highly optimistic about the “big meeting.” “I think it’s going to work out very well, actually. It’s gonna be great for everybody,” he said. The meeting will be held on the sidelines of the APEC summit.
This crucial diplomatic engagement comes amid a new flare-up in the US-China trade war. Tensions, which had recently calmed, spiked again after Beijing imposed tight export controls on rare earths.
In response, the US threatened to implement 100% tariffs on Chinese goods starting November 1. The conflict has also seen new US port fees on Chinese ships, which in turn sparked a wave of countermeasures from China.
Trump’s Asia trip has been dominated by trade issues. This meeting with Xi is the central event, seen as a key opportunity to de-escalate the damaging economic conflict.