Trump Expects 'Fantastic' US-China Trade Deal Amid Taiwan, Tariff Tensions

President Donald Trump expressed optimism about reaching a "fantastic" and "very strong" trade deal with China during his upcoming meeting with President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea. Despite ongoing trade tensions marked by dueling tariffs and China's export restrictions on rare earth minerals, Trump emphasized that Beijing has shown "great respect" to the U.S. and expects the two countries to resolve their differences. He warned that if no deal is reached by the November 1 deadline, tariffs on Chinese goods could rise as high as 157%, while also threatening to cut off shipments of commercial airplane parts to China. Trump downplayed China's rare earth export controls, asserting that U.S. tariffs are a more powerful bargaining tool and highlighting the use of tariffs as a key element of U.S. strategy and diplomacy. Military issues, including Taiwan, are expected to be discussed, though Trump refrained from commenting on tensions in the Taiwan Strait, noting China views Taiwan as the "apple" of Xi's eye but does not expect conflict. Meanwhile, U.S. farmers remain concerned due to China's near halt in purchasing American soybeans, shifting instead to South American suppliers, which has added pressure to Trump's support base.