The White House confirmed that Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.

The meeting comes amid escalated tensions between the two countries on trade after Beijing announced Oct. 9 it would impose export controls on rare-earth magnets, which are used in a host of products ranging from electric cars to F-35 fighter jets. In response, Trump announced the U.S. would impose a new 100% tariff on all Chinese goods, which is slated to take effect Nov. 1.

Even so, Trump sought to diffuse tensions and has routinely touted his relationship with Xi in recent weeks. Additionally, he has voiced confidence both parties will walk away from the summit pleased and that a deal will be made.

TRUMP THREATENS ‘MASSIVE’ CHINA TARIFFS, SEES ‘NO REASON’ TO MEET WITH XI

The White House confirmed that President Donald Trump will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

“I think we are going to come out very well, and everyone’s going to be very happy,” Trump said Thursday.

The summit between Trump and Xi will mark the first time they’ve met in person since Trump took office in January. The two previously met in person in June 2019 in Japan.

Trump’s meeting with Xi will come on the tail end of a larger trip to the region. Trump is first headed to Malaysia to meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim Sunday afternoon before participating in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) dinner in the evening.

NORTH KOREA LAUNCHES BALLISTIC MISSILES DAYS BEFORE TRUMP’S VISIT TO THE PENINSULA

Xi Jinping, China’s president, during a news conference with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president, not pictured, at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, Brazil Nov. 20, 2024.  (Ton Molina/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

While in Malaysia, he will also meet with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

Trump will then head to Tokyo Monday and is slated to meet on Tuesday with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who was just elected earlier in October. Takaichi is the first woman to serve as the prime minister of Japan.

Trump will then close out his trip heading to South Korea, where he will meet with the South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and will deliver keynote remarks at the APEC CEO lunch.

TRUMP ANNOUNCES MEETING WITH XI JINPING AT SOUTH KOREA APEC SUMMIT SCHEDULED FOR NEXT MONTH

President Donald Trump, right, and Xi Jinping, China’s president, greet attendees waving American and Chinese national flags during a welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Nov. 9, 2017.  (Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Trump is scheduled to return to Washington Thursday.

Meanwhile, North Korea has upped its aggression in recent days, firing off multiple short-range ballistic missiles Wednesday, the first one Pyongyang has launched since May. Meanwhile, North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un showed off a new intercontinental ballistic missile at a military parade in front of Chinese, Russian and other top officials Oct. 10.

“We are aware of the DPRK’s multiple ballistic missile launches and are consulting closely with the Republic of Korea and Japan, as well as other regional allies and partners,” U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The United States condemns these actions and calls on the DPRK to refrain from further unlawful and destabilizing acts,” INDOPACOM said. “While we have assessed that this event does not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel, or territory or to our allies, we continue to monitor the situation.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Diana Stancy is a politics reporter with Fox News Digital covering the White House. 

The post Trump to jet off to Asia as North Korea fires ballistic missiles and China trade questions loom appeared first on My Blog.

South Korea’s military said the missiles, which were the first launched by its neighbor in five months, originated from an area south of Pyongyang and flew about 220 miles toward the northeast. The missiles did not land in the sea, the military added.

Trump is set to leave for Asia at the end of the week in what will be his first trip to the region during his second term. He plans to go to Malaysia first for a regional summit, and then head to Japan before traveling on to South Korea for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting.

The president is expected to visit the South Korean city of Gyeongju ahead of the summit for bilateral meetings with leaders including Xi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

TRUMP CLAIMS PUTIN, XI, KIM ARE CONSPIRING AGAINST THE US AFTER MILITARY PARADE IN CHINA

North Korea, whose leader Kim Jong Un is shown left, conducted missile launches just days ahead of a visit by President Donald Trump to South Korea. (China Daily via Reuters/Korea News Service via AP; Ahn Young-joon/AP; Alex Brandon/AP)

South Korea’s military said Wednesday that it remains ready to repel any provocations by North Korea based on its alliance with the United States.

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi also told reporters that Tokyo was closely communicating with Washington and Seoul, including by sharing real-time missile warning data.

Wednesday’s ballistic missile launches by North Korea were the first of their kind since the country tested short-range systems on May 8 that simulated nuclear counterstrikes against U.S. and South Korean forces.

NUCLEAR THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA LOOM QUIETLY BEHIND WARS IN GAZA AND UKRAINE AT UNGA

A North Korean government photo shows what it says is a new intercontinental ballistic missile called the Hwasong-20 during a military parade on Oct. 10, 2025, in Pyongyang, North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP)

Earlier this month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un displayed a new long-range intercontinental ballistic missile at a military parade in Pyongyang that included foreign leaders.

The yet-to-be-tested Hwasong-20 was described by the state-owned Korean Central News Agency as having the “most powerful nuclear strategic weapons system.”

The government also displayed shorter-range ballistic, cruise and supersonic missiles at the military parade, which marked 80 years since the founding of the Worker’s Party.

Kim said at the parade that the military “must continue to evolve into an invincible force that eliminates all threats.”

A TV screen shows North Korea’s missile launch during a news program at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025.  (Ahn Young-joon/AP)

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The foreign dignitaries at the parade included Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam.

Fox News Digital’s Brie Stimson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.

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