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US President Donald Trump said he expects to have a "great meeting" with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, shortly before arriving in South Korea today, where he will have a working lunch with President Lee Jae-myung.
Trump departed Tokyo, where he was on a two-day visit, and arrived today in the South Korean city of Gyeongju, to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
Speaking from Air Force One, Trump said he expected to have a "great meeting" with Xi on Thursday, during which "a lot of issues will be resolved."
"We have spoken with them and we will not improvise in this meeting (…) I think we will achieve a very good result for our country and for the world, really," said the US president from Air Force One.
Trump hinted that he would reduce the tariffs he has imposed on China in retaliation for how it has handled the fentanyl crisis in the US.
Although negotiators in Beijing and Washington claim to have reached a "framework" for a deal, it remains to be seen whether Trump and Xi, who have not met face to face in six years, will finalize a ceasefire in the bilateral trade war that has sent markets plummeting and disrupted supply chains.
However, the US president has hinted that he is "not sure" whether to discuss with Xi the delicate issue of Taiwan, an island claimed by Beijing.
“Very soon”
Speaking at a conference of business leaders from ASEAN countries before meeting with Lee, Trump said a trade deal between the United States and South Korea would be finalized "very soon," although officials from both sides were more cautious.
The two allies announced a deal in late July that allowed Seoul to avoid higher U.S. tariffs after agreeing to make $350 billion in new investments in the United States. But talks on those investments have stalled.
The US president then met with Lee at the National Museum, where he was presented with a gold crown and the “Grand Order of Mugunghwa,” the country’s highest decoration worn as an ornate sash and medal. “I would love to wear that right now,” Trump joked.
At the start of the working lunch, which included a "golden dessert," the South Korean president pledged that his country would spend more on defense.
For his part, Trump promised to help “solve” South Korea’s problems with its northern neighbor. The two Koreas have been technically at war since they signed an armistice in 1953, not a peace treaty.
"We're going to work very hard with Kim Jong Un and everyone to resolve the issues, because that makes sense," the US president stressed, explaining that he had failed to "find the right time" to meet with the North Korean leader.
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