U.S. President Donald Trump. AP=Yonhap News. 

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on the 17th (local time) that he plans to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the near future.

According to Reuters and other media outlets, President Trump stated in an interview with Fox Business reported that day that he would "meet with President Xi within two weeks" regarding the holding of a U.S.-China summit.

It is reported that President Trump and President Xi are highly likely to make back-to-back state visits to South Korea around the time of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, which will be held in Gyeongju later this month.

Regarding his relationship with President Xi, Trump said, "I get along with him very well," adding, "I think we will work things out with China. However, we need a fair deal."

Following China's recent move to tighten export controls on rare earth elements, President Trump warned on the 10th that he would impose an additional 100% tariff on China starting the 1st of next month. He also mentioned that he could cancel the scheduled meeting with President Xi on the sidelines of the APEC summit.

Regarding the 100% tariffs on China, President Trump remarked, "That is not sustainable," but added, "However, that is the number. They (China) made me do it."

In this interview, President Trump also stated that the 'Abraham Accords,' which normalize diplomatic relations between Arab nations and Israel, will soon expand, and he expressed his expectation for Saudi Arabia's participation in the agreement.

Regarding the Abraham Accords, President Trump said, "I hope Saudi Arabia joins, and I hope other countries join as well," adding, "I think if Saudi Arabia comes in, everyone will come in."

He hinted at the expansion of the accords, stating that as of the 15th, he had "very good conversations with countries that have expressed their intention to join."

The Abraham Accords are a series of agreements brokered by the U.S. during President Trump's first term in 2020–2021, in which four countries—the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan—agreed to establish diplomatic relations with Israel.

The second Trump administration has been working to include other Middle Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Lebanon, in the Abraham Accords.

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