Trump travels to South Korea, with all eyes on meeting with Xi

(Patria) - US President Donald Trump traveled to South Korea today, where a key meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping could lead to a truce in the fierce trade war between the world's two largest economies, AFP reported.

Trump's two-day visit to key US ally South Korea is the third leg of his trip to Asia, where he was praised at a regional summit in Malaysia, and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi called him a "peacemaker".

But the eyes of the world and global markets will be on the meeting scheduled for Thursday, the first time in six years that Trump has met with Xi. It could determine whether the United States and China can stop the trade war that has caused panic in international supply chains.

Negotiators from Beijing and Washington have confirmed that a "framework" has been agreed upon. It is now up to Trump and Xi, who will meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the city of Gyeongju, to refine it.

Tariffs, Trade, Investments

Trump's trip to South Korea follows two days in Japan, where new conservative Prime Minister Takaichi welcomed a "golden age" in bilateral relations.

Takaichi showered Trump with praise, saying she would nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize and gifted him a golf club owned by the assassinated former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a close friend of Trump's.

Just hours before Trump's arrival, North Korea announced that it had tested sea-to-land cruise missiles from its west coast in a show of force against Pyongyang's "enemies".

Trump extended an invitation to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to meet while he is on the peninsula.

The US President will travel to Gyeongju for a summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung - their second face-to-face meeting just two months after a meeting in Washington.

The discussion is likely to focus on trade, as the two sides remain at an impasse over an agreement between major economic partners. In July, Trump said Washington had agreed to reduce tariffs on South Korean imports to fifteen percent in exchange for Seoul's promise of $350 billion in investments.

However, high automotive tariffs remain in place, and the two governments are still divided on the structure of the investment pledge.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday that there were still "many details to work out" in what he called a "complicated" agreement, while Trump denied there was any "stalemate" in negotiations.
South Korean activists plan to welcome Trump with demonstrations, condemning his "predatory investment demands".

Meeting at the DMZ?

Trump said he "would like to meet" with the North Korean leader during his visit, and even suggested that sanctions could be a topic of discussion.

The last time they met was in 2019 at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the tense Cold War border that has divided North and South Korea for decades.

North Korea has not yet publicly responded to the invitation.

Kim said last month that he had "nice memories" of his meetings with Trump. He also expressed openness to talks if the United States abandons the "delusional" demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear weapons.