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U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he would urge Chinese President Xi Jinping to "open up" China to American businesses as trade officials from both countries launched talks in Seoul ahead of a high-stakes summit between the two leaders.
Trump made the remarks on social media after departing Washington alongside several top U.S. executives, including Elon Musk and Jensen Huang.
Apple CEO Tim Cook and other major business leaders were also expected to join meetings tied to the visit.
"I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to ‘open up’ China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People’s Republic to an even higher level," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The upcoming meetings between Trump and Xi are expected to focus heavily on tariffs, technology competition, Taiwan and the ongoing Iran war.
Washington and Beijing imposed tariffs exceeding 100% on each other’s exports last year before agreeing to a one-year trade truce during the leaders’ previous meeting in South Korea in October.
Trump also confirmed he planned to discuss U.S. arms sales to Taiwan with Xi, marking a notable shift from Washington’s traditional approach of avoiding direct consultation with Beijing on military support for the self-governing island claimed by China.
The two sides are also expected to address China’s restrictions on rare earth exports and growing competition in artificial intelligence.
Trump also told reporters before leaving Washington that he expected a "long talk" with Xi regarding Iran, which continues to sell most of its sanctioned oil to China.
Meanwhile, Chinese and U.S. delegations began a fresh round of trade negotiations in South Korea on Wednesday, according to Chinese state media, as both governments worked to lay the groundwork for the upcoming Trump-Xi summit.
China’s Xinhua news agency reported that the talks were being held at Incheon International Airport near Seoul, but did not provide additional details on the agenda.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was expected to meet Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, with both officials having previously led key rounds of economic negotiations between Washington and Beijing.
The talks were expected to help finalize potential summit announcements as both sides try to preserve last year’s tariff truce.
"Economic security is national security," Bessent wrote on social media while announcing his South Korea trip, adding that he would later continue on to China for the leaders’ meeting.
Despite remaining among each other’s largest trading partners, economic ties between the two countries weakened sharply in 2025 during the tariff standoff. U.S. goods imports from China fell nearly 30% to about $308.4 billion, while U.S. exports to China dropped 25.8% year-over-year to $106.3 billion.
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