Trump to meet Xi Jinping at APEC summit amid rising trade tensions

President Donald Trump is heading to Asia on Friday evening, not long after North Korea launched a ballistic missile for the first time in months and questions emerged about trade negotiations with China.

The White House confirmed that Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit on Thursday.

The meeting took place amid rising tensions over trade between the two countries after Beijing announced on October 9 that it would impose export controls on rare earth magnets used in many products from electric cars to F-35 fighter jets. In response, Trump announced that the United States would impose a new 100% tariff on all Chinese goods, scheduled to go into effect on November 1.

Still, Trump has sought to diffuse tensions and has routinely touted his relationship with Xi in recent weeks. He also expressed confidence that both sides will leave the summit satisfied and an agreement will be reached.

TRUMP THREATENS ‘HIGH’ TARIFFS TO CHINA, SEES ‘NO JUSTIFICATION’ TO MEET WITH XI

“I think we’re going to have a very good outcome and everybody’s going to be very happy,” Trump said Thursday.

The summit between Trump and Xi will be their first face-to-face meeting since Trump took office in January. The two had previously met in person in Japan in June 2019.

Trump’s meeting with Xi will be the last of a larger trip to the region. Trump will first travel to Malaysia to meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday afternoon before attending the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) dinner in the evening.

NORTH KOREA LAUNCHED BALLISTIC MISSILES DAYS BEFORE TRUMP’S VISIT TO THE PENINSULA

Chinese President Xi Jinping with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (not pictured) at a press conference at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, Brazil, on November 20, 2024. (Ton Molina/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

While in Malaysia, he will also meet with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

Trump will then travel to Tokyo on Monday and meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who was elected in early October, on Tuesday. Takaichi is the first woman to serve as prime minister of Japan.

Trump will then wrap up his trip with South Korea, where he will meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and the APEC CEO will deliver the keynote speech at the luncheon.

TRUMP ANNOUNCED THAT HE WILL MEET WITH XI JINPING AT THE SOUTH KOREA APEC SUMMIT PLANNED FOR NEXT MONTH

President Donald Trump (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping greet attendees waving American and Chinese national flags at a welcome ceremony in front of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, November 9, 2017. (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump is scheduled to return to Washington on Thursday.

North Korea, meanwhile, has stepped up its aggression in recent days, firing several short-range ballistic missiles on Wednesday, the first missiles Pyongyang has launched since May. Meanwhile, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un displayed his new intercontinental ballistic missile at a military parade in front of Chinese, Russian and other senior officials on October 10.

“We are aware that North Korea has launched multiple ballistic missiles and are consulting closely with the Republic of Korea and Japan, as well as other regional allies and partners,” U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said in a statement on Wednesday. he said.

“The United States condemns these actions and urges North Korea to refrain from further illegal and destabilizing actions,” INDOPACOM said. he said. “Although we do not assess that this incident poses an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, territory, or our allies, we continue to monitor the situation.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.