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BUSAN ( WNAM MONITORING ): U.S. President Donald Trump kicked off a meeting with China’s leader Xi Jinping at a South Korean air base on Thursday optimistic about striking a trade-war truce between the world’s two largest economies.
The talks in the southern port city of Busan, their first face-to-face meeting since 2019, mark the finale of Trump’s whirlwind trip around Asia in which he has touted several trade breakthroughs with South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian nations.
“We are going to have a very successful meeting, I have no doubt. But he is a very tough negotiator,” Trump said as he shook hands with Xi, who showed little emotion as Trump told reporters the pair might sign a trade deal on Thursday.
As they sat down with their delegations to begin talks, Xi told Trump via a translator it was normal for the two leading economies of the world to have frictions now and then.
A few days ago, trade negotiators for both countries reached a “fundamental consensus on addressing each other’s primary concerns”, Xi said. “I am willing to continue working with President Trump to lay a solid foundation for China-U.S. relations,” he added.
