US, China officials likely to meet in Malaysia over expected Trump-Xi talks in South Korea

Senior US and Chinese officials are likely to hold talks next weekend in Malaysia as part of efforts to set the stage for a meeting between their countries’ presidents, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Oct 17.

Amid renewed trade tensions before US President Donald Trump’s anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in late October in South Korea, the senior US official said he planned to speak by phone with Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng on the evening of Oct 17.

Mr Bessent said his team and a Chinese delegation led by the Chinese Vice-Premier will then “meet in Malaysia probably a week from tomorrow to prepare for the two presidents to meet”.

“I think that things have de-escalated,” he said at the outset of Mr Trump’s lunch meeting at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which they took multiple questions from reporters.

“We hope that China will show the respect that we have shown them, and I am confident that President Trump, because of his relationship with President Xi, will be able to get things back on a good course,” Mr Bessent said.

Mr Trump reiterated that he plans to hold one-on-one talks with Mr Xi when the two travel to South Korea for an Asia-Pacific economic summit at the end of October.

Mr Trump said: “We’re talking, and I think we’ll make a deal that will be good for both. I think we will do something.”

In response to China’s announcement of new export controls on rare earth minerals, Mr Trump last week threatened to impose a 100 per cent additional tariff on Chinese imports, resulting in a flare-up of trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies.

Since returning to the White House in January, Mr Trump has yet to meet Mr Xi in person. KYODO NEWS