Xi Jinping and Trump’s meeting at the upcoming ASEAN summit may be canceled.
As speculation mounts about Xi Jinping and Donald Trump meeting at the October ASEAN summit in Malaysia, some sources are reporting that the Chinese president may not attend the ASEAN summit and a series of related summits to be held in Malaysia in October.
This means that, according to some media reports, expectations for his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Kuala Lumpur may be dashed.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who attended the ASEAN-China-GCC summit in May, is also expected to lead China at the ASEAN summit to be held in Kuala Lumpur from October 26 to 28, according to two sources.
Malaysia holds the ASEAN chairmanship this year. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim revealed earlier this month that Trump and Xi Jinping are set to attend the ASEAN summit.
The news has sparked speculation that the leaders of the United States and China, who are at a trade stalemate, may meet face-to-face for the first time in Trump’s second term.
China’s Foreign Ministry, reacting to Xi’s possible absence from the summit and a possible meeting with Donald Trump, previously said Beijing always values its relations with ASEAN and East Asian cooperation, but declined to comment specifically.