A new flare-up in the trade war has not deterred President Donald Trump’s optimism for his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“I think it’s going to work out very well,” Trump said confidently from Tokyo. The “big meeting” is scheduled for Thursday in South Korea, on the sidelines of the APEC summit.
The flare-up includes a US 100% tariff threat (from November 1) in response to China’s new controls on rare earth exports.
This, combined with new US port fees and Chinese countermeasures, has ended a recent period of calm.
Trump, however, was insistent, calling the meeting “fantastic” and “great for everybody.”
The APEC summit meeting is the final, crucial event of Trump’s Asia visit. His trip has been overwhelmingly focused on trade discussions with world leaders, including his earlier meeting with Japan’s new prime minister.