Hong Kong SCMP Reports
Possibility of Trump-Xi Summit at APEC in Gyeongju
Face-to-face Meeting Expected Amid Complex U.S.-China Issues
According to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on July 20 (local time), there is a high possibility that U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold a summit meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which is scheduled to take place in Gyeongju at the end of October.
On the same day, SCMP, citing multiple sources, reported that the APEC summit, which will be held from October 31 to November 1, presents the best opportunity for the two leaders to meet face-to-face.
The newspaper also added that President Trump may visit China before attending the APEC summit, or could hold a separate summit meeting with President Xi during the event.
President Xi is reportedly highly likely to attend the APEC summit. While President Trump's attendance has not yet been confirmed, the newspaper reported that senior U.S. officials consider it highly likely that he will participate.
If President Trump visits China before the APEC summit, the newspaper predicted that he may visit Shanghai or another location, rather than Beijing, in order to differentiate this visit from his previous trip to the capital in 2017.
Previously, the two leaders invited each other for reciprocal visits during a phone call last month. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Wang Yi, Director of the Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party and Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as other diplomatic leaders from both countries, also held talks on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Malaysia earlier this month, reaffirming their commitment to holding a summit meeting. SCMP described the meeting between Secretary Rubio and Director Wang as "an important step that could lead to a U.S.-China summit meeting."
If a U.S.-China summit is realized, key issues such as tariffs, fentanyl, rare earths, and semiconductors are expected to be discussed. However, SCMP, citing analysts, noted that several factors?including the Taiwan issue and the actions of hardliners against China within the United States?could pose obstacles to holding the summit.
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