As part of his Asia tour, U.S. President Donald Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next week, the White House confirmed on Thursday. The meeting, long uncertain due to rising trade tensions, has now been finalized, according to Reuters.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt said Trump will depart for Malaysia on Friday night. He is scheduled to meet Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday and later join a dinner with ASEAN leaders. On Monday, Trump will travel to Japan, where he will hold talks on Tuesday with the country’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Trump is expected to arrive in South Korea on Wednesday, with his meeting with Xi Jinping set for Thursday morning in Seoul. Before that, he will deliver remarks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit and attend the U.S.–APEC leaders’ dinner, after which he will head back to Washington.
The bilateral meeting comes after China imposed major restrictions on rare earth exports earlier this month—an escalation in the U.S.–China trade war. The Trump administration has since warned of new tariffs and retaliatory actions. Despite the tensions, Trump has recently sounded optimistic, suggesting progress toward a possible trade deal.
“I think the meeting will go well, and everyone will be satisfied,” Trump told reporters on Thursday.
This will be Trump’s first face-to-face meeting with Xi in his second presidential term.
The U.S. president also said he plans to raise concerns over fentanyl in the meeting. Washington accuses Beijing of failing to control exports of precursor chemicals used to produce the powerful synthetic opioid, which has become a leading cause of drug-related deaths in the United States. China has rejected the allegations, saying the issue is being politicized by the U.S.
The White House noted that the continued chemical flow from China is one of the key reasons behind its tariff increases on Chinese goods. “I will ask Xi about fentanyl first,” Trump said. “It will be at the top of my agenda.”
