नवीनतम
Trump arrives in South Korea on final leg of Asian tour
NEW DELHI [Maha Media]: US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he expected a "lot of problems" to be solved with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in their talks on dialling down their hugely damaging trade war. The US leader said he expected their first face-to-face talks of his second term to result in the United States lowering tariffs imposed on China in relation to fentanyl.
"I think we're going to have a great meeting with President Xi of China, and a lot of problems are going to be solved," Trump said en route to South Korea where he is due to meet with Xi. He also said he was "not sure" whether he would discuss the sensitive topic of self-ruling Taiwan during his meeting with the Chinese leader.
Trump's visit to key US ally South Korea is the third leg of an Asia tour that has seen him lavished with praise and presents at a regional summit in Malaysia and by Japan's new premier in Tokyo. But the eyes of the world -- and of global markets -- will be on the talks set for Thursday, the first time in six years Trump sits down with Xi.
It could determine whether the United States and China can halt a trade war that has sent international supply chains into panic. Negotiators from Beijing and Washington have both confirmed a "framework" has been agreed.
It is now up to Trump and Xi to nail it down during their meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the South Korean city of Gyeongju. William Yang, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, said however that there appeared to be a "mismatch" in expectations.
The United States "is eager to reach any trade deal that Trump could declare as a victory", while China is focused on "building more mutual trust, managing longstanding differences, and steadying the bilateral trade relationship", he added.
Trump's trip to South Korea follows two days in Japan, where new conservative premier Sanae Takaichi hailed a "golden age" in bilateral ties.
Takaichi heaped praise on Trump, saying she would nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize and giving him a golf club owned by assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe, a close friend of the US president. In Korea, Trump was expected to receive a replica of a gold crown from the ancient Silla era.
Just hours before Trump's arrival, North Korea announced it had test launched sea-to-surface cruise missiles off its western coast in a show of strength against Pyongyang's "enemies".
Trump has extended an invitation to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to meet while he is on the peninsula but on Air Force One Trump said his focus was on the Xi meeting. "At some point, we'll be involved with North Korea. I think they'd like to, and I'd like to," Trump told reporters.
