Trump confident of deal after “very successful” US-China talks in Malaysia
U.S. President Donald Trump said he was confident of hashing out a deal with President Xi Jinping, whom he is expected to meet next week, after top economic officials from both countries concluded two days of discussions on Sunday to de-escalate a trade war.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and top trade negotiator Li Chenggang on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur for a fifth round of in-person discussions since May.
“I think we have a very successful framework for the leaders to discuss on Thursday,” Bessent told reporters.
Trump arrived in Malaysia on Sunday for a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, his first stop in a five-day Asia tour that is expected to culminate in a face-to-face with Xi in South Korea on October 30.
After the talks, he struck a positive tone, saying: “I think we’re going to have a deal with China”.
The U.S. president also hinted at possible meetings with Xi in China and the United States.
“We’ve agreed to meet. We’re going to meet them later in China, and we’re going to meet in the U.S., in either Washington or at Mar-a-Lago,” he said.
While the White House has officially announced the highly anticipated Trump-Xi talks, Beijing has yet to confirm that the two leaders will meet.
