US President Donald Trump is set to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in South Korea this week. The talks come as the two nations engage in a bruising trade war, with the fate of global markets hanging precariously in the balance.
The agenda for Trump's meeting with Xi is expected to be wide-ranging, but key issues include the ongoing trade tensions between the US and China. The two countries have been locked in a standoff over tariffs and trade imbalances, with Beijing imposing new export controls on rare earths, crucial components in the production of smartphones and fighter jets.
The issue of rare earths is a particular point of contention, with China holding near-complete control over the refining processes needed to make these minerals useful. Trump has been making deals with other countries to circumvent this chokehold, but it remains high on the agenda for his meeting with Xi.
In addition to trade, the two leaders are also expected to discuss issues related to Russia and Ukraine. Trump has sought China's assistance in dealing with Vladimir Putin's aggressive behavior, while China has opposed US sanctions on Russian oil companies.
Another sensitive topic likely to come up is Taiwan, which China claims as its own but the US recognizes as a sovereign state. Trump has kept his stance on this issue ambiguous, but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made it clear that abandoning Taiwan would not be part of any trade deal with China.
The talks also come against the backdrop of human rights issues in Hong Kong, where Chinese authorities have cracked down on pro-democracy activists, including prominent media mogul Jimmy Lai. Trump's meeting with Xi may offer an opportunity for him to pressure Beijing on this issue.
Overall, the meeting between Trump and Xi will be closely watched by markets and policymakers around the world, who are eager to see if the two nations can chart a path forward out of the trade war and find common ground on other pressing issues.
The agenda for Trump's meeting with Xi is expected to be wide-ranging, but key issues include the ongoing trade tensions between the US and China. The two countries have been locked in a standoff over tariffs and trade imbalances, with Beijing imposing new export controls on rare earths, crucial components in the production of smartphones and fighter jets.
The issue of rare earths is a particular point of contention, with China holding near-complete control over the refining processes needed to make these minerals useful. Trump has been making deals with other countries to circumvent this chokehold, but it remains high on the agenda for his meeting with Xi.
In addition to trade, the two leaders are also expected to discuss issues related to Russia and Ukraine. Trump has sought China's assistance in dealing with Vladimir Putin's aggressive behavior, while China has opposed US sanctions on Russian oil companies.
Another sensitive topic likely to come up is Taiwan, which China claims as its own but the US recognizes as a sovereign state. Trump has kept his stance on this issue ambiguous, but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made it clear that abandoning Taiwan would not be part of any trade deal with China.
The talks also come against the backdrop of human rights issues in Hong Kong, where Chinese authorities have cracked down on pro-democracy activists, including prominent media mogul Jimmy Lai. Trump's meeting with Xi may offer an opportunity for him to pressure Beijing on this issue.
Overall, the meeting between Trump and Xi will be closely watched by markets and policymakers around the world, who are eager to see if the two nations can chart a path forward out of the trade war and find common ground on other pressing issues.
so like what's up with these 2 guys? 
Trump's been all over the map on China – sometimes friendly, sometimes not 
. They got this huge trade imbalance thing going on and it's affecting everyone 
. Did you know that China exports like 80% of rare earths to the US? That's a big deal 
. And now Trump's trying to find workarounds with other countries... let's see how that plays out 
. Trump's been super vague about this one, but Marco Rubio is all like "nope, we won't trade with China if they abandon Taiwan" 
. It's gonna be interesting to see how Xi Jinping handles this 
. The global market is on thin ice here and we need some peace and cooperation 
. I've got a stat that shows the impact of this trade war on the US economy... *drops 10+ charts with varying stats*
I feel like we're all stuck watching this drama unfold from afar, knowing that global markets are hanging in the balance... it's like our futures are being decided by people we don't even know 
. It's hard not to worry about what might happen when they talk about rare earths and trade imbalances - it feels so complicated and high stakes 
. I hope Trump is able to bring some sense of calm to the situation, but at the same time, I'm a little concerned that nothing will change 
. And with all the other issues they'll be discussing... Russia, Ukraine, Taiwan... it's like there are so many plates spinning and no one knows what's going to fall off 
.
... and what's up with these rare earths anyway? Like, why is China holding out on this? It's just another way for them to flex their economic muscle 
... and human rights in Hong Kong are like, totally unacceptable 
... so yeah, this meeting is gonna be super delicate 
. And don't even get me started on Taiwan - it feels like a whole other level of complicated 
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... human rights issues in hong kong are a whole other can of worms, hope xi takes this chance to show some real leadership 
so like what's up with these US-China talks? 
meanwhile xi's all like "nope can't help you" 
trump wants china's help on that but china's like "nah" 
plus taiwan's still up in the air 
or more trade war drama 
40% think it's too late for that 
80% expect china to push back on rare earths 
Meanwhile, Taiwan and Hong Kong are like super sensitive topics 
... can't wait to see how that all plays out 
... we need it! 
But seriously, it's not just about the numbers; it's about the bigger picture. We need to think about how this is gonna affect our daily lives, you know? Like, how are we gonna afford that new smartphone if China's holding us hostage with rare earths? 
. I just wish they could all sit down and talk it out, you know? 
. the whole rare earths thing is like, super important for tech and defense industries, so it'll be interesting to see how they negotiate that one 
. does he want china to just leave it alone or try to get them to back down? only time will tell, but i'm hoping for some real progress on human rights in hong kong 
. it'd be sick if trump actually used his platform to bring up that issue with xi 
.
. And let's be real, those rare earths are like, super important for our gadgets and stuff. Fingers crossed they can find a way to work things out without making everyone go broke 
the whole world is watching these two leaders go head to head about trade and stuff its like a big game of chess but instead of pieces we got global markets at stake you gotta feel me? china's been trying to get its act together on the rare earths thing but trump's all about finding ways to work around that chokehold i'm curious to see what kind of deals they come up with maybe it'll be a win-win for both sides or maybe it'll just be more tariffs 
. is he really gonna just abandon taiwan or what? 
. Rare earths, huh? Who knew something so boring could be a major point of contention between the US and China? It's like they're trying to out-do each other in some kind of geo-strategic game of "who can annoy whom the most" 
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. Wouldn't that be a miracle?
But at the same time, can you blame China for wanting to keep an eye on that whole Russia-Ukraine situation? 