Inside Xi Jinping's decision to meet Trump: What's behind it
Photo: US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump will meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping amid personnel purges in the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and economic problems, according to RBC-Ukraine's article.
On October 30, US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are scheduled to meet in South Korea, despite previous agreements having repeatedly fallen through. It has become known what is behind the Chinese leader's unexpected agreement.
Dean Karalekas, an expert on security issues in the Asia-Pacific region and an associate research fellow at the Center for Austronesian Studies at Lancaster University, notes that Trump has successfully exploited the situation in China for his own diplomatic advantage.
According to him, Beijing is currently experiencing instability: there are rumors that Xi Jinping has suffered a stroke, and the new regime of control over the export of rare earth elements is creating serious economic problems.
The results of the fourth plenum of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China indicate internal cracks in the country's management system.
The expert considers the purge in the party to be particularly indicative: of the 205 full members of the Central Committee appointed in 2022, only 168 remained at last week's plenum, which was one of the largest purges of high-ranking party members in China's 76-year history.
There have also been personnel changes in the military leadership: on October 17, the Chinese Ministry of Defense announced the expulsion of 9 high-ranking generals, including Deputy Chairman of the Central Military Commission He Weidong.
Karalekas emphasizes that the trade war with the US is becoming too costly for China. Declining domestic demand, the collapse of the real estate market, and overproduction of consumer goods are forcing the country to look for new markets, and the US is currently its largest and most critical partner.
"Trump is going in from a position of strength, and I hope he is aware of it, and that he chooses to capitalize on it," the expert believes.
These factors, according to analysts, were the key reasons why Xi Jinping agreed to meet with Trump, despite previous setbacks.
Trump intends to abandon plans for a 100% tariff against China.
According to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, trade negotiations between the United States and China are nearing final details.
He stresses that the parties had agreed on a framework for talks between Trump and Xi, adding that the meeting would be important and would have global economic implications amid the ongoing trade war.
