Trump preparing to travel to South Korea next month, may meet Chinese President Xi

Washington: US President Donald Trump and his top advisers are silently preparing to travel to South Korea in October for the gathering of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade ministers where he will may meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, CNN reported quoting Trump administration officials.

The US administration officials said on Saturday that there have been serious discussions about a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of APEC, but no firm plans are in place.

The summit, set to be held in the city of Gyeongju between late October and early November, is viewed as a key opportunity for Trump to meet President Xi.

In a phone call last month, Xi invited Trump and his wife to visit China, an invitation the US President reciprocated, though no dates have been set.

Details are still being finalised and it’s unclear whether the US President may add other stops on the trip.

The officials said the Trump administration is also viewing it as an opportunity for the President to clinch more economic investments in the US — something that has been a key focus of his recent trips abroad, including during his trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

“A visit to South Korea is being discussed, which would focus on economic collaboration,” a White House official told CNN.

Other goals include a focus on discussions around trade, defence and civil nuclear cooperation, the official said.

Trump’s presence in the region could also put him in a position to sit down once again with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, though whether Kim attends is still a question.

Officials say more attention is being placed on organising a potential meeting with Xi.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung invited Trump to attend the APEC summit while meeting with him last week and suggested the setting could provide Trump with an opportunity to meet with Kim, sources familiar with the talks said.

While addressing reporters earlier on Saturday, Trump told Lee he was willing to meet with Kim.

“I will do that, and we’ll have talks. He’d like to meet with me,” Trump claimed of the North Korean leader.

“We look forward to meeting with him, and we’ll make relations better.”

The US President’s expected trip to South Korea comes at a tenuous time in his relationship with both Xi and Kim.

Xi hosted Kim, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Beijing this week — a gathering Trump was quick to criticise repeatedly despite his frequent proclamations that he has strong personal ties with each of the leaders. The meeting was in conjunction with China’s military parade — a significant show of its arms capabilities.

“May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America,” Trump wrote on social media as the parade was underway.

On Friday, Trump shared a photo of Xi, Putin and PM Modi, writing: “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!”

While speaking to reporters in the Oval Office this week, he said the military parade was designed in part for him to watch, which he did.

“I understood the reason they were doing it, and they were hoping I was watching — and I was watching,” Trump said, calling it a “beautiful ceremony” and “very impressive”.

“My relationship with all of them is very good. We’re going to find out how good it is over the next week or two,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with the President of Poland Karol Nawrocki.

A potential meeting with Xi also comes as Washington and Beijing have engaged in a back-and-forth over Trump’s tariffs, with China a key target of his administration’s trade policy.

US and Chinese officials have been in a series of negotiations, including two in-person meetings with top economic advisers from both countries in Europe, over a trade deal.

The President has delayed higher US tariffs on Chinese goods from snapping back to their peak in April — when the trade war between the world’s two largest economies was at its most intense — as the talks continue.

Trump imposed a 145 per cent tariff on Chinese imports in April, and China retaliated with 125 per cent levy on US goods.

Those tariffs were set to resume last month, but Trump signed an executive order pausing the higher rates until November.

IANS