Trump ‘not worried’ about Xi calling off summit

US President Donald Trump said he is not worried that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) would cancel a highly anticipated visit later this month.

“No, I’m not worried about that,” Trump told reporters as he attended the Irish Open in Doonbeg on Sunday. “We have a great relationship. He wants to get along, and we want it. We’re going to get along.”

Trump’s comments follow a recent report that China had warned the US that it would scrap Xi’s upcoming visit if the US approved new arms sales to Taiwan, a major point of contention for Beijing.

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press aboard Air Force One while flying to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, from Ireland on Sunday.

Photo: AFP

Trump has said he is weighing a US$14 billion arms deal with Taiwan. Xi has warned the US president in the past that there is a potential for conflict if the issue of Taiwan is mismanaged.

Trump has previously said he talked to Xi “a lot” about Taiwan during their summit in May, and said in an interview at the time with Fox News that he wanted Beijing to “cool down” about the issue.

The leaders of the world’s two largest economies are slated to meet face-to-face next week in Washington, as they seek to manage tensions over Taiwan as well as trade, artificial intelligence and the Middle East. While the May summit was marked by displays of warmth between the two leaders, there have been fresh strains between the countries, in particular over the Iran war.

China is the main buyer of Iranian oil, and Beijing has resisted Trump’s calls to cut off economic ties with Tehran. The US president has sought to ramp up economic pressure on the Islamic Republic to force it to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the critical energy waterway largely shuttered since the war’s launch, and to strike a deal to end the conflict.

Xi has appeared in no rush to help Trump end a war the US launched alongside Israel and which is now in its seventh month. Taking stronger action against Chinese firms that support Iran’s economy would also risk bigger blowback for the US.

Both nations appear eager to keep relations on track following a tit-for-tat tariff war last year that unnerved financial markets and raised worries about a global economic downturn.

A subsequent trade truce has largely held despite persistent tensions over export controls for rare earth minerals and cutting-edge technologies. However, that truce is set to expire on Nov. 10.