Trump-Xi meeting likely to happen 'early next year,' says U.S. ambassador to China

BEIJING — A highly anticipated gathering betwixt the U.S. and Chinese presidents is much apt to instrumentality spot adjacent twelvemonth than this fall, U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue said Tuesday.

"We're looking guardant to getting together, arsenic President Trump said, and perchance successful the adjacent future, but surely adjacent year," Perdue said. His comments came during a property league with a radical of U.S. lawmakers connected a uncommon sojourn to Beijing — the archetypal since 2019.

After a telephone Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. President Donald Trump said connected societal media that the 2 agreed to conscionable astir a multilateral acme successful South Korea adjacent month. Trump besides said helium would sojourn China aboriginal adjacent year, followed by a sojourn from Xi to the U.S.. The Chinese readout of the telephone did not see specified details.

Perdue indicated that the delegation by the U.S. House of Representatives discussed the presidents' telephone and imaginable gathering with Vice Premier He Lifeng Monday. The lawmakers besides met Chinese Premier Li Qiang connected Sunday.

"I would accidental that the narration betwixt President Xi and President Trump is really precise bully and precise encouraging close now," Perdue said.

Democratic House Representative Adam Smith led the bipartisan delegation of 4 lawmakers, which included 1 Republican. Smith, who is besides the existent apical Democrat connected the House Armed Services Committee, said that the delegation besides discussed resolving differences implicit the ownership of TikTok during their meetings with the Chinese.

Smith emphasized the China sojourn was aimed astatine boosting connection betwixt the 2 countries, particularly connected subject issues.

"We're inactive benignant of talking past each other," Smith said. He added that the U.S. and China request to "not needfully get connected the aforesaid page, [but] astatine slightest get successful the aforesaid book."