TOP US OFFICIALS HEAD TO ASIA
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer were headed to Malaysia to defuse tensions over Beijing’s rare earth export curbs, as officials in Washington prepared to hit Beijing with fresh measures if no deals are reached.
Reuters reported earlier that the Trump administration is considering a plan to curb a wide range of software-powered exports to China, from laptops to jet engines, to retaliate against Beijing, following Trump’s threat earlier this month to bar “critical software” exports to China.
Bessent said Greer was already en route to Kuala Lumpur and he would head there later on Wednesday, before joining Trump for the rest of his Asia trip.
“This is China versus the globe. It’s not just on the US,” Bessent told Fox Business Network’s Kudlow programme. “This licensing regime that they’ve proposed is unworkable and unacceptable.”
He said the US and its Western allies were contemplating how to respond if they were unable to negotiate a pause in Beijing’s plans or some other relief, but gave no details. “I’m hoping that we can get this ironed out this weekend so that the leaders can enter their talks on a more positive note,” he said.
Bessent described the planned Trump-Xi meeting as a “pull-aside”, in what may be an attempt to dampen expectations.
Trump is scheduled to travel to Kuala Lumpur for a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that begins on Sunday, and later that week is expected in South Korea ahead of a leaders’ summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum that is being held Oct 31-Nov 1 in Gyeongju.
Bessent said Trump would also stop in Japan to meet the new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi.
The US Treasury chief said he was optimistic that two days of “fulsome” talks with Chinese officials would lay the groundwork for a good meeting of the two leaders, noting that Trump had great respect for Xi.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/us-trump-china-xi-trade-soybeans-nuclear-arms-5419176
