Trump, Xi Could Meet at APEC Summit in South Korea Next Month

US President Donald Trump may meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next month on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, CNN reported.

According to officials cited in the report, discussions are underway about a potential bilateral meeting, though no firm plans have been finalized. In a recent phone call, Xi invited Trump and his wife to visit China, while Trump extended a reciprocal invitation to Xi, with dates yet to be set.

A White House official told CNN that a possible South Korea trip would center on economic cooperation, trade, defense, and civil nuclear issues. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has already invited Trump to the summit, which North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may also attend.

The potential Trump-Xi meeting comes amid escalating US-China tensions over tariffs and accusations from Trump that Beijing is aligning with Russia and North Korea.

Last week, Xi hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong-un at separate events during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin and a military parade in Beijing. Trump criticized the trio’s engagements, claiming the US had “lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest China.”

He later softened his stance, saying his relationship with Modi remained strong and that the two leaders would “always” be friends.