The president’s meeting with Xi will be the last event on his schedule before he returns to Washington from his trip to Asia.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Oct. 23 that President Donald Trump will meet with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping on Oct. 30.
The meeting will come after Trump has spoken to several heads of state in the region, and will cover several hot-button issues, including soybean trade, fentanyl, rare earths, and tariffs.
Trump will depart for his Asia tour on Oct. 24 at 11 p.m., arriving at his first stop in Malaysia on the morning of Oct. 26.
There, he will oversee the signing of a peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia on the first day of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. Trump will also meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and join an ASEAN working dinner on Oct. 26.
On Oct. 27, Trump will travel to Japan, and the next day, he will meet with Japan’s newly elected prime minister, Sanae Takaichi.
On Oct. 29, Trump will fly to Busan, South Korea, and meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. He will also deliver the keynote speech at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO gathering and later participate in a U.S.–APEC leaders working dinner.
Trump’s meeting with Xi is scheduled to take place the next day, and will be the last event on his schedule before he returns to Washington.
Trump has signaled high expectations from the upcoming meeting with Xi, saying at a White House press briefing on Oct. 22 that he wants a “deal on everything.”
He has said he wants China to commit to buying soybeans, curbing exports of fentanyl precursor chemicals, and fair trading terms, including on rare earths.
Trump pointed out that China is paying 55 percent tariffs and that number would go up to 155 percent on Nov. 1 unless they strike a fair deal, dismissing Beijing’s hold on critical minerals as significant leverage. He has said that when China issued its restrictions, he received many calls from people about rare earth supply opportunities.
