U.S. President Donald Trump said he expects to reach key agreements with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their upcoming meeting in South Korea next week, potentially covering trade, soybean purchases, and even nuclear arms control.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he plans to discuss China’s purchases of Russian oil and possible ways to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. He suggested that Xi’s stance on the conflict has shifted and that the Chinese leader may now be open to discussions about ending the war.
Trump’s comments contrasted with the more cautious tone from top U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who are traveling to Asia to prepare for the talks. The Trump-Xi meeting, the first of Trump’s second term, comes amid rising tensions over tariffs and China’s recent export restrictions on rare earth magnets.
Trump downplayed the rare earth dispute, describing it as a “disturbance,” while emphasizing that tariffs remain the “more powerful” issue. Facing pressure from U.S. farmers hit hard by reduced Chinese soybean imports, Trump said he expects to secure some form of trade deal restoring Beijing’s purchases of American soybeans.
He also raised the possibility of expanding nuclear arms discussions to include China, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin had recently signaled openness to bilateral de-escalation efforts. Trade relations between Washington and Beijing have deteriorated in recent weeks after Trump announced new 100% tariffs on Chinese goods, set to take effect November 1, following China’s decision to tighten exports of rare earth materials vital to high-tech industries.
U.S. officials are also considering new measures restricting technology exports to China, including software used in advanced manufacturing, as part of broader efforts to rebalance trade relations. Despite the escalating rhetoric, both Bessent and Greer stressed that the administration does not seek full economic decoupling, but rather a fairer and more transparent trade framework.
Trump is scheduled to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Kuala Lumpur this weekend before traveling to South Korea for the APEC leaders’ summit in Gyeongju on October 31–November 1. He will also stop in Japan to meet with newly appointed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The administration hopes that ongoing talks in Malaysia and other Asian capitals will ease tensions before the Trump-Xi meeting, setting the stage for progress on trade, agricultural exports, and strategic stability.
