Trump confident of deal after “successful” US-China talks in Malaysia
By Xinghui Kok
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said he was confident of reaching an agreement with President Xi Jinping, who is expected to meet next week, after top economic officials from both countries wrapped up two days of talks on Sunday to defuse the trade war.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and top trade negotiator Li Chenggang on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur for their fifth round of face-to-face talks since May.
“I think we have a very successful framework that leaders can discuss on Thursday,” Bessent told reporters. he said.
Trump arrived in Malaysia on Sunday for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, the first stop of his five-day Asian tour that is expected to culminate in a face-to-face meeting with Xi in South Korea on October 30.
After the talks, he said in a positive tone: “I think we will make an agreement with China.”
The US president also hinted at possible meetings with Xi in China and the US.
“We agreed to meet. We will meet them later in China, and then we will meet them in the United States, in Washington or Mar-a-Lago,” he said.
COMMERCIAL ATEŞEK
Both sides are trying to prevent an escalation in their trade war after Trump threatened new 100% tariffs and other trade restrictions on Chinese goods starting Nov. 1 in retaliation for China’s greatly expanded export controls on rare earth magnets and minerals.
Beijing and Washington have rolled back most triple-digit tariffs on each other’s goods as part of a trade truce that expires on November 10.
Bessent said the ceasefire could be extended until the president decides, pointing to a second extension since it was first signed in May.
Bessent said they had “very important discussions” and discussed trade, rare earths, fentanyl, TikTok and the general relationship between the two countries.
TALKING POINTS
Although the White House has officially announced the highly anticipated Trump-Xi talks, Beijing has not yet confirmed that the two leaders will meet.
Among the issues Trump discussed with Xi are China’s purchase of U.S. soybeans, concerns about democratically governed Taiwan, which Beijing considers its own territory, and the release of jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai.
The detention of the founder of the now-shuttered pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper has become the most notable example of China’s crackdown on rights and freedoms in Asia’s financial hub.
