Gyeongju, 29 October 2025 (dpa/MIA) - China has confirmed that President Xi Jinping will meet US President Donald Trump in South Korea on Thursday.

The high-stakes talks are to take place in the southern port city of Busan, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

The two leaders will exchange views on "bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest," ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

He said discussions would touch on "strategic and long-term issues," and that Beijing was ready to work with Washington to get "positive" results.

The meeting of the world's two largest economies will take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit being held nearby in Gyeongju, South Korea. China is set to chair the summit next year.

The ministry did not specify what topics Xi and Trump will discuss, but the agenda is expected to include US tariffs on Chinese goods and China’s export controls on key raw materials.

Ahead of the the meeting, senior US and Chinese officials said on Sunday they had agreed to a "framework" of a deal on tariffs and other issues.

The tariff dispute between the United States and China has been dragging on for months.

Since April, the US has gradually raised tariffs on Chinese imports to as high as 145%. Beijing retaliated with counter-tariffs of up to 125% and introduced export controls on critical raw materials.

A temporary pause on the planned tariff hikes later paved the way for renewed negotiations. Most recently, Trump warned that tariffs of up to 157% could be imposed on China if no agreement was reached.

Photo: EPA