Not all problems in the US-China relationship have been resolved, said US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
“To date, we have not resolved all the problems in the US-China relationship. There are many unresolved issues related to the work of American companies in China or their attempts to do business there“, he said in an interview with Fox Business, commenting on the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
According to Greer, the main goal of the US administration was to establish supplies of rare earth metals, guarantee the purchase of American agricultural goods by Beijing and agree with China to work together to solve the problem of fentanyl smuggling. "And we have achieved all of that," the trade representative said.
The talks between Xi Jinping and Trump were held in Busan, South Korea, and lasted one hour and 40 minutes. At the beginning of the meeting, Xi Jinping called for the progressive development of bilateral relations. He also noted that Chinese and American negotiators had reached a basic consensus on resolving key trade and economic differences. Trump, for his part, called the meeting "excellent." Before these talks, Trump and Xi Jinping met in 2019 on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka.
China intends to work with Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries to support free trade and ensure the smooth functioning of supply chains, Chinese President Xi Jinping said.
“First, we should jointly uphold the multilateral trading system, practice genuine multilateralism, and strengthen the authority and effectiveness of the multilateral system, with the World Trade Organization (WTO) playing a key role,“ the Chinese leader stressed, speaking at the 32nd APEC Leaders' Meeting. "We must work together to ensure the stability and smooth operation of industrial and supply chains."
The Chinese authorities are ready to fully exempt all goods from African countries that have established diplomatic relations with China, Xi Jinping said.
"We are ready to provide 100% duty-free relief on all tariff lines to African countries that have established diplomatic relations with China," the Chinese leader said.
He declared that China firmly adheres to its policy of opening up and will continuously create new opportunities for the development of the Asia-Pacific region (APR) and the whole world, Chinese President Xi Jinping said.
"China firmly adheres to its basic national policy of opening up and through concrete actions promotes the development of an open world economy, deepens reforms, continuously expands openness "China will continue to build a high-level and continuously create new favorable opportunities for the Asia-Pacific region and the whole world through its new achievements in national modernization," the Chinese leader said.
The international trading system based on the principles of the free movement of goods is facing uncertainty. This was stated by South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju.
“We are facing a very complicated situation; we are at a critical crossroads. The free trade system faces an uncertain future, and competition is becoming increasingly fierce,“ said Lee Jae-myung at the opening of the summit. Observers are eagerly watching to see if free trade will be included in the declaration of the 2026 APEC summit.
Lee Jae-myung also said that artificial intelligence and the changes it brings pose not only an “unprecedented challenge” but also “tremendous new opportunities.” “Cooperation and solidarity are the only solutions that will allow us to move forward,” the South Korean president said. He recalled that the current summit is being held under the motto “Building a Sustainable Future: Connectivity, Innovation, Prosperity.”
The APEC summit is being held in Gyeongju from October 31 to November 1. A joint declaration is expected after the summit. APAC includes 19 countries in the Asia-Pacific region and two regions of China (Hong Kong and Taiwan).