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On the last leg of his Asia tour, Trump appeared to concede the law prohibits him from seeking a third term in the White House.
China said ahead of the Trump-Xi summit that it’s willing to strive for peaceful unification with self-ruling Taiwan but would never promise to give up the use of force.
Beijing is ready to “create broad space for peaceful unification” of the democratically-governed island with “utmost sincerity and best efforts,” which requires both sides of the Taiwan Strait to “move toward each other,” said Peng Qing’en, spokesperson of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.
In recent days, Chinese state media has launched a rhetorical blast on what it calls “separatist forces” in Taiwan. But such intimidation from Beijing is “so normal in Taiwan that it really falls on deaf ears, even if there’s slightly more these days,” said Lev Nachman, an assistant professor of politics at National Taiwan University.
These messages are “far more” for people on the Chinese mainland than Taiwan, Nachman said, adding that more than eight out of 10 Taiwanese oppose Beijing’s “one country, two systems” model, according to an April poll backed by the government in Taiwan.
China’s Foreign Ministry signaled goodwill towards the U.S. ahead of an in-person meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled tomorrow.
Head of state diplomacy plays an “irreplaceable strategic guiding role” in China-U.S. relations, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson,Guo Jiakun, said at a regular briefing in Beijing today.
Guo added that Trump and Xi will have “in-depth communication on issues of strategic and long-term importance to China-U.S. relations, as well as major issues of mutual concern.”
“We are willing to work together with the U.S. side to promote positive outcomes from this meeting, provide new guidance for the stable development of China-U.S. relations, and inject new momentum,” he said.
China defended itself today as “the country most resolute in drug control” while expressing sympathy for people in the U.S. who have suffered in the fentanyl crisis.
Asked about Trump’s comments that he would lower tariffs on China for Beijing’s help in curbing the fentanyl flow into the U.S., the Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, said the country has the world’s “best record” in drug controls with the “most comprehensive policies.”
“China expresses sympathy for the American people who suffer from the fentanyl crisis,” Guo said at a regular briefing in Beijing. “We have provided assistance in the past and achieved positive results, and remain open to continued cooperation with the U.S. side.”
Guo urged the U.S. to “take concrete actions to create the necessary conditions for such cooperation.”
In 2019, China banned all fentanyl-related substances and tightened controls, but U.S. officials say enforcement gaps persist.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung awarded Trump with the Grand Order of Mugunghwa and a replica of the Silla gold crown during a meeting at the Gyeongju National Museum today.
Trump is currently at a dinner hosted by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, in what is their final scheduled event for the day.
Other guests include Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, as well as leaders from key regional partner nations, including New Zealand, Thailand, and Singapore.
Lee started with a toast to world peace. Guests will be served Trump Chardonnay and Trump Cabernet Sauvignon, both from the winery run by Eric Trump.
Trump said a trade deal has been “pretty much finalized” with South Korea, without giving details.
President Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during a welcome ceremony in Gyeongju, South Korea today. Mark Schiefelbein / AP
“We did. We reached a deal and we did a lot of different things. We had a great session,” he told reporters ahead of his dinner hosted by the South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
But just moments later, as he spoke again at the dinner, he appeared to hedge his previous statement, saying, “We made our deal pretty much finalized.”
It’s unclear if a complete agreement was reached with South Korea or if Trump was making a symbolic statement. Neither the White House nor South Korea has provided further details.
The pain of a U.S. government shutdown is poised to intensify this week as the funding lapse nears a full month with no resolution in sight.
A series of deadlines in the coming days could have negative consequences for ordinary Americans, cutting off food assistance for low-income Americans, raising health insurance premiums for millions on Obamacare and depriving air-traffic controllers, TSA agents and other federal workers of paychecks.
Read the full story here.
Trump appeared optimistic ahead of his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping tomorrow, saying aboard Air Force One earlier today that he expects that Beijing will help with fentanyl, and in exchange, he could lower tariffs on the country.
Beijing has signaled it’s also approaching the in-person meeting between Trump and Xi tomorrow with a positive outlook.
Head-of-state diplomacy plays an “irreplaceable strategic guiding role” in China-U.S. relations, foreign ministry ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular briefing today.
He added that Trump and Xi will have “in-depth communication on issues of strategic and long-term importance to China-U.S. relations, as well as major issues of mutual concern.”
“We are willing to work together with the U.S. side to promote positive outcomes from this meeting, provide new guidance for the stable development of China-U.S. relations, and inject new momentum,” Guo said.
The highly anticipated meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping was the “focus” for his Asia visit, Trump has said.
“That was something that obviously is very important to the world, all of us,” he said as he met with the South Korean leader, adding he thinks, “it’s going to work out very, very well for everybody, and we, I look forward to seeing him.”
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung awarded Trump with the country’s highest decoration, the Grand Order of Mugunghwa.
Trump was told through a translator that he was the first U.S. president to receive the award, which has a laurel leaf design that symbolizes prosperity.
“It’s a great honor,” Trump said. “I’d like to wear it right now,” he added.
Trump was also gifted a replica of the golden Cheonmachong crown, a 1,500-year-old artifact that was found in a tomb in Gyeongju and is among the heaviest gold crowns ever found.
NBC News