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Trump set for showdown with Xi on sidelines of APEC in Gyeongju

Published: 20 Oct. 2025, 17:11

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One, Oct. 19, en route to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland as he returns from a trip to Florida. [AP/YONHAP]

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed Sunday that he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju later this month, setting the stage for a high-stakes confrontation over trade.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he and Xi “will meet in about two weeks” in Korea. Trump is scheduled to visit the country for two days starting Oct. 29 for bilateral summits with both President Lee Jae Myung and Xi.

Reiterating his call for “fair trade,” Trump suggested that China must make concessions to the United States. “I have a lot to pull,” he said. “I’m not looking to destroy China — I’m looking to not destroy China.”

When asked about the economic fallout from his threat to impose additional 100 percent tariffs on Chinese goods starting in November, Trump acknowledged the policy's limits. “It's not sustainable, but that's what the number is,” he said, noting that cumulative tariffs could reach as high as 157 percent.

“China has ripped off our country for years,” the president said. “They took money out. Now it’s reversed.” Despite his criticism, he described Xi as “a very strong leader, a very amazing man,” adding that the Chinese president’s life “is a story for a great movie.”

“I think we’re going to be fine with China,” he continued. “But we have to have a fair deal. It’s got to be fair. We have a very strong adversary, and they only respect strength.”

His comments suggest that the expected Trump-Xi meeting in Gyeongju, separate from the main APEC framework, could become a tense and extended negotiation.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi jinping [YONHAP/AFP]

Workers use machinery to dig at a rare earth mine in Ganxian county in central China's Jiangxi province on Dec. 30, 2010. [AP/YONHAP]

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump warned Beijing not to “play the rare earth game” with Washington. He said China is paying “huge amounts” in tariffs and will likely seek relief as part of upcoming talks.

Among the concessions he expects are increased U.S. soybean imports and stronger action against fentanyl exports. He then added that the requests were very “normal things.”

He defended his tariff policy as a success, claiming that it is helping revive U.S. manufacturing and bringing pharmaceuticals and semiconductors back to the United States.

Trump also addressed the U.S. Supreme Court’s upcoming review of the legality of his executive orders on “reciprocal” tariffs. He said that the reality is that “hundreds of billions and even trillions of dollars” are coming into the United States. “If we didn’t have tariffs, we would have no national security,” he said.

The court will hear arguments on Nov. 5, following lower court rulings in favor of U.S. wine importers and others challenging the constitutionality of Trump’s tariff measures. A ruling is expected by June next year.

People gather along a waterfront park during a ″No Kings″ protest in Portland, Oregon, on Oct. 18. [AP/YONHAP]

Asked whether the ongoing government shutdown was connected to nationwide “No Kings” protests, Trump dismissed the link. “They’re referring to me as a king,” he said. “I’m not a king.”

He downplayed the demonstrations, describing them as “very small, ineffective” and calling participants “whacked out.”

Organized in over 2,600 locations — including Washington, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and Seattle — the protests drew an estimated seven million participants nationwide.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM HYOUNG-GU [[email protected]]