UNITED STATES President Donald Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next Thursday in South Korea, the White House confirmed on Thursday, despite rising tensions over trade and rare-earth mineral exports.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump departs for Malaysia late Friday night and will also visit Japan, where he will meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and South Korea, where he will address the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit before his meeting with Xi.
“On Thursday morning local time, President Trump will participate in a bilateral meeting with President Xi of the People's Republic of China, before departing to return home,” Leavitt said.
Trump, speaking ahead of the summit, said the first topic he would raise with Xi is fentanyl, citing U.S. concerns that Beijing has not curbed the flow of precursor chemicals linked to overdoses. “The first question I'm going to be asking him about is fentanyl. I'm putting it right at the front of the list,” he said.
The planned talks follow weeks of heightened tensions after Beijing expanded export curbs on rare-earth minerals in early October, prompting threats of U.S. tariffs. Trump expressed optimism about reaching a trade deal, saying, “I think we're going to come out very well, and everyone's going to be very happy.”
Experts warn that while both sides are eager to protect their leverage, a narrow agreement on limited issues is the most likely outcome. Wu Xinbo, director of the American Studies Center at Shanghai's Fudan University, said, “China believes negotiations alone are insufficient and that effective countermeasures against the United States are necessary to prevent the U.S. from exerting pressure.”
The dispute puts a fragile truce and the world’s most important trade relationship, valued at US$660 billion annually, at risk. Analysts note that China’s curbs on rare-earths, which supply over 90 percent of the world’s processed materials, reflect a broader strategy to exert control over critical supply chains.
“The prospect for escalation is severe,” said an official familiar with the Trump administration’s thinking, calling China’s moves “full-blown economic war.”
Meanwhile, both nations are pursuing alternative strategies: the U.S. signed a critical minerals pact with Australia and is considering measures targeting software exports, while China could intensify enforcement of rare-earth controls or impose new tariffs.
The White House and U.S. Treasury Department declined comment, while China’s Foreign Ministry stressed that “tariff and trade wars do not accord with any parties’ interests” and called for resolution “through consultation on the basis of equality, respect, and mutual benefit.”
Negotiators from both countries are seeking a last-minute off-ramp ahead of the summit, with hopes for confidence-building measures and a limited follow-up deal similar to the 2020 Phase One agreement, according to officials familiar with U.S. preparations. - October 24, 2025
