On October 13, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that US President Donald Trump is expected to hold talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in South Korea at the end of October.
President Trump said the tariffs will not be effective until November 1. He will meet Chairman Xi Jinping in Korea. I believe that meeting will continue, Bessent said on local television.
Previously, on October 10, Mr. Trump expressed doubts about the feasibility of a dialogue with the Chinese leader.
On the same day, Mr. Trump announced that he would impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods by 100% from November 1, while applying measures to control software exports, raising the total US tariffs on Chinese goods to up to 130%.
This move by Washington is said to be in response to Beijing's decision on October 9, when the Chinese Ministry of Commerce announced tightening control of rare earth exports and related technologies.
In the last week of October, many events within the APEC framework will take place in Gyeongju city (Korea), including the meeting of foreign and economic ministers of member countries on October 29-30, as well as the summit of the bloc on October 31-1.
According to Korean media outlets, the visit schedule is currently being coordinated and Mr. Trump is likely to visit South Korea on October 29 and 30.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said that Gyeongju will be the venue for the high-level meeting between Seoul and Washington, and said the possibility of a meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi Jinping is very high.
The APEC Summit is an intergovernmental dialogue forum established in 1989, gathering 21 economies, including Russia ( joining in 1998), with the main goal of promoting stable economic growth and deepening regional integration.
