Trump Says "Not Sure About Meeting Xi Jinping, But Will Go There"... Reaffirms APEC Visit to South Korea

Left Open to Possibility of US-China Summit: "We Might Be Able to Have the Meeting"

On October 10 (local time), President Donald Trump of the United States commented on the planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in South Korea from October 31 to November 1, stating, "I don't know if that meeting will happen, but in any case, I will go there (to South Korea)."

President Trump made this remark at the White House after announcing pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca's drug price reduction policy. When reporters asked whether he had canceled the meeting with President Xi, he responded as above. This suggests that even if the meeting with President Xi does not take place, he still intends to attend the APEC summit in South Korea. President Trump added, "I think we might be able to have the meeting."

Donald Trump, President of the United States. Photo by Yonhap News

President Trump criticized China's rare earth export control measures, saying, "They have hit the world with something nobody thought they would do," and described it as "shocking."

Previously, President Trump had posted on Truth Social regarding China's rare earth export controls, calling it "holding the world hostage" and stating, "I was scheduled to meet with Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in South Korea in two weeks, but now it seems there is no reason to do so." In response to China's rare earth export controls, President Trump announced that starting November 1, the United States would impose an additional 100% tariff on China and begin export controls on key software.