The American president said today, Sunday, October 26, that he is optimistic about reaching a trade agreement with Beijing and that he expects to have meetings in and on .
“I think we will have a deal with China,” Trump told reporters at the start of his talks with the Brazilian president. “We’ll meet them later in China and we’ll meet them in the U.S., either in Washington or Mar-a-Lago.”
The US-China agreement framework is ready – What Besent said
The framework for a trade deal between the United States and China is ready, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said after two days of talks in Malaysia.
He told reporters in Kuala Lumpur that US and Chinese officials had reached a “very successful” agreement for the upcoming leaders’ summit.
In particular, the two sides discussed agricultural markets, TikTok, fentanyl, trade, rare earths and overall bilateral relations.
The US Treasury Secretary described the talks as “constructive, wide-ranging and in-depth, enabling us to move forward and prepare the ground for the leaders’ meeting in a very positive context”.
The Chinese delegation has yet to make any public statements.
China’s Vice President He Lifeng led the Chinese side, accompanied by Trade Representative Li Chenggang and Vice Minister of Finance Liao Min. US Trade Representative Jameson Greer was part of the American team.
Armistice agreement signed by the US
Trump landed in Malaysia on Sunday to begin his first tour of the region during his second term. He was greeted by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the runway and attended the signing of the peace declaration between Thailand and Cambodia.
The US president is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings in Malaysia and later in Japan and South Korea, where he is also expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
Earlier, Donald Trump, speaking to reporters on Air Force One, had said he hoped talks with Xi would lead to “a done deal.”
The Trump-Xi meeting will be the first face-to-face between the leaders of the two largest economies since Trump returned to the White House in January.
The two have spoken at least three times this year, and Trump has said direct talks are the best way to resolve issues such as tariffs, export restrictions, agricultural markets, fentanyl trafficking, geopolitical flashpoints like Taiwan and the war in Ukraine.
Agreement with Malaysia on critical minerals
Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim signed a trade deal and a critical minerals pact on Sunday, as the US president seeks to boost trade across Southeast Asia and address the difficulties of accessing minerals that China almost dominates.
Malaysia “will modify its tariffs and non-tariff barriers, and we intend to significantly increase trade,” US Trade Representative James Greer said at the deal signing in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, adding that he expected the agriculture, technology and services sectors to benefit from the deal.
