Trump: "Lengthy Meeting Scheduled with Xi Jinping... Tariffs Stronger Than Rare Earths"

"Very Good Relationship with China... Meeting Is Important"
Discussion Topics: Rare Earth Exports, Soybean Exports, Nuclear Arms Reduction, and the War in Ukraine

Donald Trump, President of the United States, who is scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping during next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, heightened expectations for the summit between the two countries on the 22nd (local time) by stating, "A rather lengthy meeting is scheduled." President Trump expressed confidence, saying that not only could the two countries reach agreements on rare earth elements-a key issue in the recent trade dispute-but also on exports of American soybeans and nuclear arms reduction.

During a meeting at the White House with Mark Rutte, Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), President Trump said, "We will reach agreements on everything."

Donald Trump, President of the United States. Photo by UPI

President Trump stated, "Together, we can resolve many of our issues, questions, and vast assets," adding, "President Xi and I maintain a very good relationship, but this meeting will be very important."

This U.S.-China summit will be the first meeting between the two leaders since the beginning of Trump's second administration. While President Trump spoke positively about his relationship with President Xi, trade tensions between the two countries have escalated again recently, as China tightened controls on rare earth exports and President Trump announced additional tariffs.

President Trump predicted that agreements could be reached with President Xi on issues such as China's strengthened controls on rare earth exports, American soybean exports, and nuclear arms reduction.

In response to China's rare earth export controls, President Trump, who has decided to strengthen cooperation with Australia on rare earths and critical minerals, emphasized, "Tariffs are much stronger than rare earths," and added, "Rare earths are a disruptive factor, but there are plenty of rare earths around." He also stated, "I think we will reach an agreement on the nuclear issue," noting, "We have the largest number of nuclear weapons in the world, Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but within four to five years, the numbers could become excessive."

When asked whether he would request China to halt imports of Russian oil to help end the Russia-Ukraine war, Trump replied, "I will discuss that issue with President Xi as well." He added that President Xi has significant influence over Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying, "I am confident we will have discussions about Russia and Ukraine."

However, unlike President Trump, who made bold statements, his second-term administration officials sought to strike a balance by exercising more caution. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, in an interview with Fox Business, mentioned rare earth export controls and said, "I hope this issue will be resolved by this weekend so that the two leaders can talk in a more positive atmosphere," adding that the two leaders are expected to have a 'pull-aside' meeting in South Korea. Reuters explained that this was an attempt to lower expectations.

Jamison Greer, a representative of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), also appeared on CNBC, stating that a U.S.-China summit could take place depending on the schedule, but whether the meeting actually happens depends on an agreement between the two sides. He added that while it would be reasonable for the two leaders to talk, the outcome remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, on this day, Secretary Besant and Representative Greer traveled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to meet with Chinese officials including Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, in an effort to ease trade tensions and prepare for the U.S.-China summit. This move is interpreted as a preemptive step to lay the groundwork for negotiations ahead of next week's summit.