US, China found a ‘successful framework’ for Trump-Xi talks
The United States and China have worked out a “very successful framework” for the two countries’ presidents when they meet in South Korea in the coming days to discuss trade and other key issues, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday.
After holding two days of discussions in Kuala Lumpur, Bessent also suggested that the current 90-day trade truce between Washington and Beijing, set to expire on Nov. 10, is likely to be extended.
“I would say yes, but that is at the end of the day President Trump’s decision,” Bessent told reporters, when asked about the possibility of another extension.
‘Constructive, far-reaching’
He said the discussions on trade, rare earth minerals, a recent deal on TikTok’s US operations in the United States, fentanyl and the overall US-China relationship with a Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier He Lifeng were “constructive, far-reaching” and “in-depth.”
Bessent added the talks gave the United States and China “the ability to move forward and set the stage for the leaders meeting in a very positive framework.”
The fifth round of high-level talks since spring took place in the wake of a fresh flare-up in trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies and ahead of a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday in South Korea.
The US president is slated to arrive in Japan on Monday. He visited the Asian country three times during his first four-year term through 2021, having built a close relationship with the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Personal rapport
Abe and Trump played golf and watched sumo wrestling during his stays in Japan, demonstrating their amicable personal rapport, while also meeting with families of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korea in the 1970s and 1980s.
Trump’s first visit to Japan came in November 2017, lasting three days. He played golf with Abe and professional golfer Hideki Matsuyama, the 2021 Masters champion, in Saitama Prefecture near Tokyo. During the round, Abe accidentally fell into a bunker.
Trump’s wife, Melania, also strengthened ties with Abe’s wife, Akie, by visiting a jewelry store together in Tokyo’s Ginza district, a renowned high-end shopping area lined with luxury boutiques and cafes that showcase Japan’s modern elegance and traditional charm.
