US President Donald Trump speaks as US White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and United States Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard D. Kagan look on in the background, at the 47th Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Kuala Lumpur, October 26, 2025.
KUALA LUMPUR — US President Donald Trump said he was confident of hashing out a deal with President Xi Jinping, whom he is expected to meet next week, after top economic officials from both countries concluded two days of discussions on Sunday to de-escalate a trade war.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and top trade negotiator Li Chenggang on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur for a fifth round of in-person discussions since May.
“I think we have a very successful framework for the leaders to discuss on Thursday,” Bessent told reporters.
Trump arrived in Malaysia on Sunday for a summit of the Association of South-east Asian Nations, his first stop in a five-day Asia tour that is expected to culminate in a face-to-face with Xi in South Korea on October 30.
After the talks, he struck a positive tone, saying: “I think we’re going to have a deal with China”.
The US president also hinted at possible meetings with Xi in China and the United States.
“We’ve agreed to meet. We’re going to meet them later in China, and we’re going to meet in the US, in either Washington or at Mar-a-Lago,” he said.
