American President Donald Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on 30 October, the White House confirmed, marking their first face-to-face encounter since Trump’s return to office.

The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, and follows weeks of uncertainty amid escalating trade tensions. China tightened export controls on rare-earth materials earlier this month, prompting Trump to threaten a 100% tariff on Chinese goods from November unless restrictions are eased.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the two leaders have a: “pretty long meeting scheduled,” while Trump added that he hopes to: “work out a lot of our doubts and questions and our tremendous assets together.”

China’s commerce minister Wang Wentao struck an optimistic note, saying recent dialogue showed it was: “entirely possible to find solutions to each other’s concerns” and to promote: “healthy, stable, and sustainable” trade relations.

Trump’s Asia trip also includes a stop in Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit and meetings with leaders from South Korea and Japan. The discussions with Xi come as both powers cling to a fragile trade ceasefire agreed in May, with disputes over technology, tariffs, and critical minerals still unresolved.