U.S. President Donald Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next week during his trip to Asia, the White House confirmed on Thursday, marking the first in-person meeting between the two leaders since 2019. The talks will take place on October 30 on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.
The high-stakes meeting comes at a critical time, as both sides face the looming November 10 deadline for their fragile trade truce, and Trump’s planned 100% tariffs on Chinese goods set to take effect November 1 if no progress is made.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the meeting aims to “get negotiations back on track.” Trump added that he expects “everyone’s going to be very happy” with the outcome.
Analysts see the meeting as a “high-risk, high-reward” moment for the world’s two largest economies. “Both sides will try to hit the ‘reset’ button,” said Han Shen Lin of The Asia Group, though he noted that neither is likely to make major concessions.
Key topics on the agenda include tariffs, rare earth exports, fentanyl trafficking, agricultural purchases, and Taiwan. U.S. officials have also said they hope to discuss steps to prevent further economic decoupling.
China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng is scheduled to meet U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Malaysia this week to lay the groundwork for the Trump-Xi talks.
While tensions remain high—with new trade restrictions, port fees, and tech export controls recently introduced—the upcoming meeting signals a potential thaw in relations between Washington and Beijing as both sides seek stability and a path forward.