Trump to meet Chinese President Xi in South Korea on Oct 30

October 24, 2025

Washington: US President Donald Trump is set to embark on a major trip to Asia this week, with a significant meeting with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping scheduled to be held in South Korea. The highlight will be his talks with Xi in South Korea, which White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed would take place on October 30 on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

Leavitt on Thursday shared details of Trump’s Asia tour, which covers Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea for ASEAN and APEC summits, with trade talks, peace dialogue, and US-China tensions in focus.

Trump had previously threatened to scrap the meeting amid a flare-up in the trade war between Washington and Beijing, but he said on Wednesday he now hoped for a “deal on everything”.

Trump will leave Washington on Friday and arrive on Sunday in Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit — a meeting Trump skipped several times in his first term. He is set to sign a trade deal with Malaysia — but more importantly to oversee the signing of a peace accord between Thailand and Cambodia, as he continues his quest for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump initially threatened to cancel the meeting and imposed fresh tariffs, before saying he would go ahead after all. He said on Wednesday that he hoped to make a deal with Xi on “everything” and also hoped the Chinese leader could have a “big influence” on getting Russia’s Vladimir Putin to end the Ukraine war.

South Korea, seeking its own trade deal, is reportedly considering the rare step of awarding Trump the Grand Order of Mugunghwa — the country’s highest decoration — during his visit.

North Korea will also be on the agenda. The country fired multiple ballistic missiles on Wednesday, just days before Trump was due to visit. South Korea has halted tours in parts of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, officials said on Thursday, fueling speculation of a new meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump has said he hopes to meet Kim again following several meetings during the US President’s first term, but there has been no confirmation of reports that the White House was looking at a new meeting this time.