US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet in South Korea. The White House has confirmed the meeting will take place on the sidelines of this year's APEC summit. It comes as the two countries seek a trade deal that would end tit-for-tat export controls and tariffs. But some are worried the meeting could see the US make concessions over Taiwan.
00:00It's official. The leaders of the world's two top superpowers will meet next Thursday.
00:06U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will hold in-person talks. The
00:11White House says they'll happen on the sidelines of this year's APEC summit in South Korea.
00:17On Thursday morning local time, President Trump will participate in a bilateral meeting with
00:21President Xi of the People's Republic of China before departing to return home to Washington,
00:27D.C.
00:28This comes at a time when the U.S. and China are trying to hash out a trade deal amid tensions
00:33fueled by tit-for-tat export restrictions and tariffs.
00:37There are concerns on the Washington side over China's monopoly on the processing of critical
00:42rare-earth minerals used in everything from smartphones to military weapons.
00:51But here in Taipei, there are worries that Trump may make concessions over Taiwan to get a better
00:56deal.
00:57China claims Taiwan as its territory despite never controlling it.
01:01And the U.S. supports Taiwan's self-defense through arms sales and bilateral cooperation.
01:07The big question for Taiwan is, will the U.S. President turn his back on Taipei to win favor
01:12with China?
01:13Earlier this week, Trump tried to downplay that possibility.
01:16Taiwan Plus reached out to Taiwan's foreign ministry for comment and officials there say they're monitoring any new developments between the U.S. and China.
01:40At the same time, they say they're looking to deepen Taiwan's relationship with Washington to ensure
01:46that Taipei's interests are protected.
01:48Howard Zhang and Leslie Liao for Taiwan Plus.
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