Amid 100% Tariff Threat, Trump Says Xi Meeting Will Be “Fantastic”

Even as his administration threatens 100% tariffs on Chinese goods, President Donald Trump insisted his upcoming meeting with President Xi Jinping will be “fantastic.”
The two leaders are set to meet on Thursday in South Korea, on the sidelines of the APEC summit. “I will be meeting with President Xi the day after tomorrow,” Trump confirmed from Tokyo.
The backdrop for the talks is grim. The US tariff threat (set for November 1) was a direct counter to China’s new export controls on rare earths. This ended a recent period of relative calm.
The trade spat has also seen new US port fees and retaliatory measures from Beijing.
Trump, however, was undeterred in his optimism. “That’s a big meeting, and I think it’s going to work out very well,” he stated, adding it would be “great for everybody.”