US President Donald Trump is set to address the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea on Wednesday, ahead of a highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week. The US leader's five-day swing through Southeast Asia has been focused on trade and economic ties, with Trump aiming to cement deals and extract tariffs from other countries.
Trump is expected to meet with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, as the microchip giant partners with the Department of Energy to build an artificial intelligence supercomputer and presses for more access to China's market. The US president is also set to visit Gyeongju, a city in southeastern Korea with a population of around 250,000, which is farther from neighboring North Korea.
The APEC summit brings together 21 member countries around the Pacific Rim, with promoting free trade being a major component of the forum despite Trump's push for higher tariffs on many member countries. The US leader is looking to cinch a trade agreement with South Korea, its sixth-largest trading partner, which involves charging 15% tariffs on South Korean goods and investing billions in US industry.
Trump announced a framework deal with South Korea over the summer that includes tariffs and investments. However, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters that the South Korea deal is unlikely to be resolved this week, but it's close. The stop marks the final leg of Trump's Asia tour, which has focused on trade and economic ties in the South Pacific.
Trump's meeting with Xi Jinping could be tense, given the two world powers' clashes on trade and tariffs for months. The US president is pressing Xi to loosen a set of tough export restrictions on rare earth elements, which are essential for everything from computer chips to aerospace, threatening 100% tariffs starting Saturday unless Beijing backs off.
The trade war has also led China to cut off purchases of US soybeans, hitting American farmers. Trump needs Chinese approval for a deal to transfer TikTok's US operations from Beijing-based parent ByteDance. A Biden-era US ambassador to China told CBS News that Wednesday's meeting is "very important," calling the trade war a "test of wills" between the world's two biggest economies.
The stakes are high, with the US and China competing in various areas worldwide. As one diplomat noted, "China is the most important competitor, adversary of the United States worldwide now. It will be in the future."
Trump is expected to meet with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, as the microchip giant partners with the Department of Energy to build an artificial intelligence supercomputer and presses for more access to China's market. The US president is also set to visit Gyeongju, a city in southeastern Korea with a population of around 250,000, which is farther from neighboring North Korea.
The APEC summit brings together 21 member countries around the Pacific Rim, with promoting free trade being a major component of the forum despite Trump's push for higher tariffs on many member countries. The US leader is looking to cinch a trade agreement with South Korea, its sixth-largest trading partner, which involves charging 15% tariffs on South Korean goods and investing billions in US industry.
Trump announced a framework deal with South Korea over the summer that includes tariffs and investments. However, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters that the South Korea deal is unlikely to be resolved this week, but it's close. The stop marks the final leg of Trump's Asia tour, which has focused on trade and economic ties in the South Pacific.
Trump's meeting with Xi Jinping could be tense, given the two world powers' clashes on trade and tariffs for months. The US president is pressing Xi to loosen a set of tough export restrictions on rare earth elements, which are essential for everything from computer chips to aerospace, threatening 100% tariffs starting Saturday unless Beijing backs off.
The trade war has also led China to cut off purchases of US soybeans, hitting American farmers. Trump needs Chinese approval for a deal to transfer TikTok's US operations from Beijing-based parent ByteDance. A Biden-era US ambassador to China told CBS News that Wednesday's meeting is "very important," calling the trade war a "test of wills" between the world's two biggest economies.
The stakes are high, with the US and China competing in various areas worldwide. As one diplomat noted, "China is the most important competitor, adversary of the United States worldwide now. It will be in the future."
... I think he's trying too hard to prove a point on trade and tariffs, but at the end of the day, China's not budging 
... 100% tariffs are way harsh, and I don't think it'll really make America happy 
... South Korea is already getting frustrated with these tariffs, so I hope they can work something out 
... what's up with TikTok, tho? 
... China cutting off soybean purchases is a big deal for American farmers, and we should be supporting them more 
... Anyway, wish Trump all the luck for his meeting with Xi Jinping 
Trump's meeting with Xi Jinping might seem tense but it's all about finding common ground on trade issues, let's not forget they're both big players in the global economy. 
. It's crazy to think about how trade wars can affect so many people, from farmers in the US to businesses in China and Korea. I remember when my friend's dad was a soybean farmer back in the States and had to deal with all the uncertainty when those tariffs came in 
. And now it's like the whole world is holding its breath waiting for Trump and Xi to figure out their differences 
. It's gonna be interesting to see what happens next...
Trump's visit to APEC summit is soooo intense! 
I'm low-key freaking out about that meeting between him and Xi Jinping 
Trump's all like "Hey China, relax with those tariffs" but let's be real, China ain't having it 
The whole trade war thing is getting sooo messy 
I'm curious to see what happens next tho... will they come to some sort of agreement or just keep it real 
One thing's for sure, the world is watching 
is super interesting! I mean, he's trying to get deals done and extract tariffs from other countries, but at the same time, his meeting with Xi Jinping is going to be TENSE 
. China's export restrictions on rare earth elements are a big deal - like, computer chips can't work without 'em! 
But Trump's all like "China needs to loosen up" 
. And then there's TikTok, which is like, super popular in the US 
. Trump really needs Chinese approval for that deal, or it could get messy 
. I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to see how this all goes down! 
. The whole situation feels like a game of chicken, where both sides are trying to outmaneuver each other. And let's be real, the US isn't exactly in a strong position right now 
.
. Soybeans are a big deal, and if China keeps cutting off purchases, it's going to hurt a lot of people. I hope Trump can find some common ground with Xi Jinping, but I'm not holding my breath 
. This whole situation feels like a classic case of "good cop, bad cop" 
.
. Fingers crossed for a breakthrough, but also prepared for more of the same old tensions 
i'm so hyped he's gonna meet Jensen Huang from Nvidia and push for more access to China's market that would be lit 
can't wait to see what trades deals he gets done with South Korea 
and oh man the meeting with Xi Jinping is gonna be TENSE 
hope they can resolve their differences over trade and tariffs, China needs US soybeans like crazy 
and showing China who's boss 
...
)
)
. and btw, has anyone else noticed how weird it is that trump's whole asia tour has been about trade and economics 
.
? It's all about who can outsmart the other, and Trump thinks he's got this 
.
.
Anyway, I hope Trump gets what he wants out of his meetings with Xi and Jensen Huang, but it'll be super tense between him and Xi. Fingers crossed for some progress! 
he's really pushing for deals with south korea and china, but it's not looking good on china's side 
. We're talking about two of the world's biggest economies here, with so much at stake 
.