President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump started highly-anticipated talks in South Korea on Thursday morning amid an ongoing trade war between the world’s top two economies, which encompasses everything from rare earths to soybeans.

Xinhua news agency reported that President Xi landed in Busan on Thursday morning, accompanied by Politburo standing committee member Cai Qi, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Vice Premier He Lifeng.

It said the two leaders were meeting to "exchange views on bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest."

The meeting between the two marks their first face-to-face encounter since 2019.

Following productive preparatory talks by top officials, Trump said on Wednesday on his way to South Korea that "a lot of problems are going to be solved".

"We have been talking to them, we're not just walking into the meeting cold... I think we're going to have a very good outcome for our country and for the world, actually," he said.

The foreign ministry was more cautious, saying that Xi and Trump would have "in-depth" talks on "major issues".

"We are willing to work together with the US side to ensure that this meeting yields positive outcomes, provides new guidance and injects new momentum into the stable development of China-US relations," ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said. (Agencies)
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Last updated: 2025-10-30 HKT 10:03