Trump says may visit China to meet Xi ‘in the not-too-distant future'
'President Xi has invited me to China, and we'll probably be doing that in the not-too-distant future,' Trump told reporters at the White House during a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
'It's a little bit out, but not too distant,' he added. 'I've been invited by a lot of people, and we'll make those decisions pretty soon.'
TRIP POSSIBLY TIED TO ASIA SUMMITS
Plans have yet to be finalised, but aides from both countries have discussed the possibility of Trump visiting China as part of a broader trip to Asia later this year, sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters.
One option being considered is for the meeting to occur during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea from Oct 30 to Nov 1, or on the sidelines of that event. Another possibility is a trip to Beijing on Sep 3, for a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, an event Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to attend.
The White House and Chinese government have declined to comment on earlier reports about the potential meeting.
TRADE DEADLINE LOOMS
Trump's remark came as he touted his administration's success in 'moving Marcos away from China,' even as he acknowledged it was fine for countries to maintain relations with Beijing.
The US president has eased rhetoric in recent weeks and paused new rounds of tariffs, in a bid to stabilise the fraught US-China relationship. But his administration continues to press Beijing over longstanding concerns including overcapacity in manufacturing, regional security, and fentanyl-related exports.
Trump has proposed a 10 per cent universal base tariff on all imports and imposed higher rates on specific countries, including a 55 per cent tariff on goods from China.
He has set an Aug 12 deadline for the US and China to reach a lasting tariff agreement.
POINTS OF FRICTION
In addition to trade, US-China relations remain strained over Beijing's support for Russia, imposition of exit bans on some American residents, and growing military assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump hits Scottish golf course as protesters set to rally
Find out what's new on ST website and app. US President Donald Trump (left) and his son Eric at Mr Trump's Turnberry golf resort in Scotland on July 26. Turnberry, Scotland - US President Donald Trump played golf on the first full day of his visit to Scotland on July 26, as protesters prepared to take to the streets across the country. Mr Trump emerged from his Turnberry resort with son Eric and waved to photographers following his arrival in Scotland on July 25 evening. His presence has turned the picturesque and normally quiet area of southwest Scotland into a virtual fortress, with roads closed and police checkpoints in place. Officers on quad bikes or horses, others on foot with sniffer dogs, patrolled the famous course – which has hosted four men's British Opens – and the sandy beaches and grass dunes that hug the course. The 79-year-old touched down July 25 at nearby Prestwick Airport , as hundreds of onlookers came out to see Air Force One and try to catch a glimpse of its famous passenger. The president has professed a love of Scotland, where his mother was born, but his controversial politics and business investments in the country have made for an uneasy relationship. Speaking to reporters on the tarmac, Mr Trump immediately waded into the debate surrounding high levels of irregular migration. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Students hide vapes in underwear, toilet roll holders: S'pore schools grapple with vaping scourge Singapore 'I've tried everything': Mum helpless as son's Kpod addiction spirals out of control Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 HDB flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat Singapore From libraries to living rooms: How reading habits take root in underserved S'pore children Asia Johor faces healthcare worker shortage amid population boom, pull of higher Singapore salaries Asia Death toll climbs as Thai-Cambodia clashes continue despite calls for ceasefire Asia Thousands rally in downtown Kuala Lumpur for resignation of PM Anwar Asia Shunsaku Tamiya, who brought perfection to plastic race car models, dies at 90 'You better get your act together or you're not going to have Europe anymore,' he said, adding that it was 'killing' the continent. Mr Trump's five-day visit has divided the local community. 'A lot of people don't trust Trump and I'm one of them. I think the man is a megalomaniac,' retiree Graham Hodgson said. 'He's so full of himself. I think he's doing a lot of damage worldwide with his tariffs. And I think it's all for the sake of America, but at the moment I think America is paying the price as well for his policies.' But at Prestwick Airport a boy held a sign that read 'Welcome Trump' while a man waved a flag emblazoned with his most famous slogan – 'Make America Great Again'. 'I think the best thing about Trump is he's not actually a politician yet he's the most powerful man in the world and I think he's looking at the best interests of his own country,' said 46-year-old Lee McLean, who had travelled from nearby Kilmarnock. 'Most politicians should really be looking at the best interests of their own country first before looking overseas,' he said. As the police rolled out a massive security operation, the Stop Trump Coalition announced demonstrations on July 26 near the US consulate in Edinburgh and another in Aberdeen, where Trump owns another golf resort. Police are also monitoring any other protests that might spring up near Turnberry. Mr Trump has no public meetings in the diary for July 26, but he is due to discuss trade with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on July 27 and meet UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. AFP
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
South Korea seeks mutually agreeable US trade package as Aug 1 tariff deadline looms
SEOUL: South Korea will prepare a trade package that is mutually agreeable with the United States ahead of minister-level meetings planned next week and a US tariff-pause deadline of Aug 1, the presidential office said on Saturday (Jul 26). The package will include shipbuilding cooperation, a sector of high interest to US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who discussed the matter with South Korea's Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan on Friday, it said in a statement. Friday's meeting was a follow-up to a meeting on Thursday, where Lutnick and Kim reaffirmed their commitment to reach a trade deal by Aug 1, after a joint meeting of finance ministers and top trade envoys that had been scheduled for Friday was postponed. South Korea, facing 25 per cent tariffs, is rushing to reach a trade deal with Washington, with National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac visiting the US recently for high-level talks and Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo also in the US for negotiations, as pressure grows on officials to clinch a deal that is no worse than Japan's that cut tariffs to 15 per cent. South Korea's trade negotiations with the US have included non-tariff barriers in the agricultural and digital service sectors, but foreign exchange has not been part of trade talks beyond usual consultations, according to South Korean officials. US President Donald Trump arrived in Scotland on Friday for bilateral talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday, which could yield a trade deal with the European Union, after making a deal earlier this week with Japan and the Philippines. Next week, US officials will hold a new round of trade talks with China in Sweden for an extension to a separate deadline of Aug 12 set between the two countries. South Korea's Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol and Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will also hold meetings with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and State Secretary Marco Rubio, respectively, next week.
Business Times
8 hours ago
- Business Times
Nasa says thousands of employees set to resign from space agency
[WASHINGTON] National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) will lose roughly 3,870 employees through a voluntary resignation programme, part of a broad push from US President Donald Trump's administration to reduce the federal workforce. The numbers are subject to change as Nasa reviews applications, including if an employee withdraws from the programme or a resignation is not approved, the US space agency said on Friday (Jul 25). 'Safety remains a top priority for our agency as we balance the need to become a more streamlined and more efficient organisation and work to ensure we remain fully capable of pursuing a Golden Era of exploration and innovation, including to the Moon and Mars,' Nasa said. Nasa has offered employees two separate opportunities in 2025 to leave through the government's Deferred Resignation Programme. The agency said its expected remaining civil servant workforce would be about 14,000 people, following both resignation programmes, as well as normal attrition of about 500 people over the same time period. The first round came during the start of the Trump administration when federal workers received e-mails offering them the opportunity to take a buyout, an effort spearheaded by the Elon Musk-helmed Department of Government Efficiency. About 870 people, or 4.8 per cent of the Nasa workforce, took the offer then. Nasa initiated its own second round of deferred resignation beginning in early June, with a deadline to opt in by Jul 25. About 3,000 personnel, or 16.4 per cent of the workforce, took it up, the agency said on Friday. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Executives at the space agency, who have been working to reduce headcount to comply with the Trump administration's goal of shrinking the federal workforce, have spearheaded deferred resignation as a way to avoid layoffs. 'The reason we are doing this is to minimise any involuntary workforce reductions in the future,' Nasa's former acting administrator Janet Petro said during an agency town hall on Jun 25, according to an audio recording obtained by Bloomberg. 'That is our whole goal, minimising that.' Nasa had sought a 'blanket waiver' in February to save all of the agency's probationary employees from layoffs. The prospect of a mass exodus of employees from Nasa has raised alarm bells within the industry and at the agency, with some experts arguing that the cuts will cause Nasa to lose some of its best talent. In a letter to newly appointed Nasa interim administrator Sean Duffy titled The Voyager Declaration, hundreds of former and current employees warned Duffy, who is also the head of the Transportation Department, that workforce reductions could jeopardise the safety and efficiency of operations. 'Thousands of Nasa civil servant employees have already been terminated, resigned or retired early, taking with them highly specialised, irreplaceable knowledge crucial to carrying out Nasa's mission,' they wrote in the letter to Duffy. BLOOMBERG
