Superpowers collide as Trump, Xi meet for first time in 6 years
A long-anticipated day began in South Korea on Thursday as US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met for the first time in six years, in a high-stakes encounter between two leaders often at loggerheads with one another.
Trump and Xi, heads of the world’s two largest economies, began their meeting with a customary handshake before the press, with Trump expressing optimism that they were “going to have a very successful meeting.”
The two are expected to discuss issues that have strained US-China ties in recent months, including tariffs, semiconductor exports, rare earth metals, and the TikTok deal.
Trump quipped that Xi was a “very tough negotiator,” adding, “That’s not good.”
Joining Trump are key members of his delegation: US Ambassador to China David Perdue, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
It remains unclear whether military and defence matters are on the agenda, a critical question given that both nations command the world’s largest armed forces and possess some of its most advanced weaponry.
Trump, who returned to the White House in 2024, said he and Xi “know each other well,” as they already had prior encounters during his first term from 2017 to 2021.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
