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A heated dispute over rare earth minerals is looming over what President Donald Trump is calling a “fantastic” upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The “big meeting” is set for Thursday in South Korea, on the sidelines of the APEC summit. Speaking from Tokyo, Trump was optimistic, saying, “I think it’s going to work out very well.”
Tensions flared when China imposed tight export controls on rare earths. The US retaliated with a threat of 100% tariffs on Chinese goods, effective November 1.
The conflict has also seen new US port fees and a wave of mutual countermeasures, breaking a recent period of calm.
Despite this, Trump’s message was one of success, predicting the outcome would be “great for everybody.”