US President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea today, where, in addition to meetings with local leaders, he will also meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The meeting, planned on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, will resolve many issues, Trump told reporters during the flight. He said he wants to reduce tariffs imposed on China due to the opioid fentanyl and that he is not sure whether the controversial issue of Taiwan will be discussed, news agencies reported.
Tense relations between the US and China
Relations between the United States and China have long been tense, mainly due to disputes over tariffs, additional port fees, and Beijing’s decision to extend restrictions on rare earth exports. In February, Trump unleashed a massive tit-for-tat tariff increase when he imposed a 20% tariff on Chinese imports because, according to him, China is unwilling to combat the smuggling of fentanyl into the US. Beijing rejected this and introduced its own tariffs, with both countries gradually increasing import duties to well over 100 percent before agreeing to reduce them.
During his trip today, Trump said he wants to reduce the initial tariffs in exchange for Chinese action against fentanyl smuggling. “I think our meeting with Chinese President Sim will be wonderful and that we will resolve a lot of issues,” Trump was quoted as saying by AFP.
Taiwan remains an open question
Last week, as he departed on his trip to Asia, the US president said he would also like to discuss with his Chinese counterpart the contentious issue of Taiwan, which China claims but the US supports as autonomous. However, he has now said he is not sure whether this topic will be discussed.
Trump is scheduled to meet with Sim on Thursday. Today, he is set to meet with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, with whom, according to Seoul, he is expected to discuss trade, investment, and peace between South Korea and North Korea.
Source: ČTK
