September 8, 2025

Get ready! US President Donald Trump and his top advisers are quietly planning a big trip to South Korea this October for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) trade ministers' meeting. This summit could be the perfect stage for a face-to-face with China's President Xi Jinping. The buzz is that they might discuss hot topics like trade, defense, and civil nuclear cooperation. Although nothing is set in stone yet, serious talks are happening behind the scenes. Just last month, Xi Jinping invited Trump and the First Lady to visit China. Trump returned the invite warmly, but no dates have been picked yet. A White House official told CNN, "A visit to South Korea is being discussed, which would focus on economic collaboration." Besides trade, they want to take a deep dive into defense and civil nuclear cooperation. The timing is tricky. There’s a storm brewing with trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. Trump slapped a huge 145% tariff on Chinese goods in April. China hit back with a 125% tariff on US products. The higher tariffs were supposed to end, but Trump paused them until November to keep talks alive. They've even met twice in Europe for intense negotiation rounds. Trump’s South Korea visit also comes amid some heated moments on the world stage. Recently, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Tianjin, China’s Xi hosted North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and India’s PM Narendra Modi. Trump wasn’t happy. On social media, he cheekily wrote, "May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against the United States of America." He didn’t stop there. Sharing a photo of Xi, Putin, and Modi, Trump joked, "Looks like we've lost India and Russia to deepest, darkest, China. May they have a long and prosperous future together!" But wait, there's good news for India-US ties! On Friday, Trump called the relationship "very special" and promised he and Narendra Modi would "always be friends," affirming, "there is nothing to worry about." PM Modi responded warmly, saying he "deeply appreciates and fully reciprocates" Trump’s positive words. So, while global politics stir the pot, the India-US friendship shines bright like ever. Stay tuned—October’s APEC meeting could bring some spicy talks and surprising turns in global relations!

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Tags: Donald trump, Xi jinping, Apec, Trade talks, South korea visit, India-us relations,