Trump Arrives in South Korea for Meeting With Xi

TaiwanPlus News

US President Donald Trump is in South Korea ahead of a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping and this year's APEC forum. Taiwan may come up in their discussions, amid other brewing geopolitical tensions.

Transcript

00:00U.S. President Donald Trump arrives in South Korea, the final stop on his Asia trip.

00:07It may also be the most momentous stop, as in just a day, he'll be meeting with Chinese

00:12President Xi Jinping ahead of the APEC summit, at a moment of heightened tension between the

00:16two powers. Even up to the last minute, trade friction has been building, with the U.S. putting

00:22new bans on Chinese telecom gear Tuesday. But Trump says he looks forward to speaking with Xi.

00:27The presidency of China is coming tomorrow here, and we're going to be, I hope, making a deal. I

00:33think we're going to have a deal. I think it'll be a good deal for both. And that's really a great

00:38result. That's better than fighting and going through all sorts of problems and no reason for

00:46it. I think it's going to be a great deal for both. It's not just trade that may be on the agenda.

00:52Geopolitics, too, could come out. One question on the minds of journalists traveling with Trump

00:56is whether Taiwan will come up in his meeting with Xi. China claims Taiwan has vowed to use force to

01:02take it if necessary, and would like the U.S. to openly oppose its independence. Earlier on Air

01:08Force One, Trump told reporters he's not sure.

01:10I don't know that we'll even speak about Taiwan. I'm not sure. I mean, he may want to ask about it.

01:17There's not that much to ask about it yet. Taiwan is Taiwan. But the beautiful part about Taiwan,

01:23frankly, and they understand it, is we're bringing a lot of those chip makers into the United States.

01:27If you look at the number one chip maker in the world, they're building a massive factory in Arizona.

01:33Taiwan's National Security Bureau, though, does foresee Taiwan on the agenda, saying Trump

01:38previously said he would talk about Taiwan with Xi. Though Taiwan's own APEC delegation won't

01:44have any input in what Trump says, the Bureau thinks the U.S. won't change its policies to please

01:49Beijing.

01:50It's not that it's not that it's not that it's not that it's in Taiwan.

01:54It's not that it is like it's not that it's in Taiwan.

01:58But this part of the committee, the Republican, and the Republican, is that the

02:16The stakes are high for host South Korea, too.

02:25With U.S. tariffs shaking up world trade and geopolitical tensions brewing in Seoul's own backyard,

02:30South Korean President Lee Jae-myung is appealing to APEC's importance as a multilateral forum.

02:38In an era where protectionism and prioritization of national interests are on the rise,

02:43making immediate survival seem urgent, words like cooperation, mutual prosperity, and inclusive growth may sound hollow.

02:52Yet, paradoxically, it is in times of crisis like these that the role of APEC as a platform for solidarity shines even brighter.

03:00But Seoul will have to pull off a delicate dance to make a success of this summit.

03:04Given the deepening U.S.-China rivalry, Beijing sees strengthening cooperation and improving ties with South Korea and Japan

03:14as essential to advancing its diplomatic interests.

03:17So at this APEC summit, alongside the U.S.-China leaders' meeting,

03:21China is likely to focus on managing its relations with both Seoul and Tokyo.

03:26If South Korea, as the chairing nation, can effectively navigate and balance its relations with the United States, Japan, and China,

03:32it may play a key role in preventing the further polarization of regional blocs around the Korean Peninsula.

03:41On top of all this, North Korea has chosen today to test-fire cruise missiles,

03:47a reminder that the U.S. and China aren't the only geopolitical challenges in the region.

03:51It will be a tricky several days before the summit draws to a close on November 1st.

03:57Fu Hua Hung and John Van Trieste for Taiwan Plus.

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