Beijing: China on Friday confirmed that President Xi Jinping will visit South Korea to attend the APEC Summit, during which he is expected to hold crucial talks with his US counterpart
Donald Trump to ease escalating trade tensions between the two countries.
Earlier, the White House had announced that Trump and Xi would meet on October 30 in South Korea.
At the invitation of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, Xi will attend the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju and pay a state
visit from Oct 30 to Nov 1, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters here. Replying to a question, Guo said China and the US are maintaining close communication on a potential meeting between the two heads of state. While Trump was open about his plans to meet Xi, Beijing was guarded in confirming the meeting.
On Thursday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told a media briefing in Washington that Trump will “participate in a bilateral meeting with President Xi” on October 30 in South Korea. The meeting will take place at the end of a three-nation Asia trip to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea by the US president.
The meeting will take place in the South Korean city of Busan, ahead of the official start of the main Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit scheduled for October 31 to November 1, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported.agencies