Picture Credit : (The White House / You Tube)
United States President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Busan, South Korea, for a bilateral meeting ahead of the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, marking their first in-person interaction since Trump’s return to the White House.
According to report by ANI, The two leaders greeted each other with a handshake on a red carpet lined with the US and China flags, before beginning discussions largely focused on trade and economic relations.
Trump described Xi as a “very tough negotiator,” indicating that their dialogue would centre on long-standing economic disputes.
Trump called Xi Jinping a “friend” of his “for a long time now”.
“It’s a great honor… I think we’re going to have a fantastic relationship for a long period of time – and it’s an honor to have you with us,” Trump said during the meet.
Trump also praised Chinese President as “a great leader of a great country” and said the two sides had “already agreed to a lot of things.”
“We’ve already agreed to a lot of things, and we’ll agree to some more right now, but President Xi is a great leader of a great country, and I think we’re going to have a fantastic relationship for a long period of time, and it’s an honour to have you with us,” Trump said.
The meeting took place a day before the 2025 APEC Summit, which is set to be held in Gyeongju from October 31 to November 1. Global attention has been on whether Washington and Beijing can ease tensions that have strained bilateral ties in recent months.
Officials from both countries said the talks provided an opportunity to stabilise relations amid ongoing trade friction. Trump’s tariff measures and China’s restrictions on rare earth exports have contributed to global economic uncertainty, prompting both sides to seek common ground.
