US President Donald Trump is quietly preparing to travel to South Korea in October for the gathering of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade ministers, where discussions are underway for a bilateral meeting with China’s Xi Jinping, citing administration officials told.
However, no firm plans for the meeting are yet in place, the report said.
During a possible visit, Trump will be accompanied by his top advisers to the Summit which is set to be held in the city of Gyeongju between late October and early November.
The trip is being viewed as an opportunity for the US President to meet Xi on the sidelines of APEC, for which “serious discussions" are underway.
In a phone call between the two leaders last month, Xi invited Trump and his wife, Melania, to visit China, which was formally accepted by the latter. However, no dates for the expected visit have been announced yet.
Details of Trump’s visit are yet to be finalised, and it is not yet certain if he will stop in other countries as well before concluding his foreign trip.
The administration officials told, the foreign trip is also being seen as an opportunity for Trump to bring in more investments in the US – something which he has done in his recent foreign visits, including to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.
Trump’s attendance at the Summit may also put him in a position to sit down again with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, though it’s still unclear whether the latter would participate in the gathering. The administration officials said they are paying more attention to organising a potential meeting with Xi.
Trump’s expected visit to South Korea comes at a tenuous time in his ties with both Xi and Kim.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung had invited Trump to attend the APEC Summit during their meeting last week and suggested that this could be an opportunity for him to meet Kim, the American media outlet reported, citing sources.
Trump told Lee he was willing to meet Kim. “I will do that, and we’ll have talks. He’d like to meet with me. We look forward to meeting with him, and we’ll make relations better," he said.
Xi recently hosted Kum, Vladimir Putin, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi — which Trump heavily criticised.
“May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America," Trump wrote on social media as China’s military parade was underway.
On Friday, Trump shared a picture of Xi, Putin, and PM Modi and captioned it, “Looks like we’ve lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!"
However, later in the day, he told reporters that he did not believe that India had been lost to China, in his softening stance on New Delhi, of which he has recently been critical for buying Russian oil.
Source: News18
