Trump rules out a meeting with Kim Jong-un because he has a “very tight agenda” and promises to lower tariffs on China

Donald Trump He is already immersed in the last stage of his Asian tour. The American president landed this Wednesday in South Korea, where he met with the prime minister Lee Jae-myung to resolve the tariff agreement and where he will later see face to face with the Chinese president Xi Jinpingwith whom he intends to sign a truce in the trade war between both powers.

“The relationship with China is very good. So I think We are going to have a very positive result for our country and for the world“Trump explained, advancing that he intends to reduce taxes on Chinese products in exchange for Beijing committing to stopping exports of chemical precursors to fentanyl.

The Republican president made these statements aboard Air Force One heading to the quiet South Korean city of Gyeongju from Tokyo. Around that same time, North Korea carried out a new sea-to-land cruise missile launch test in the Yellow Sea. According to a senior Pyongyang leader, “important successes are being achieved in the practical application” of its “nuclear forces.”

Trump downplayed this maneuver – “They’ve been launching missiles for decades, right?” he recalled – but confirmed that finally their expected meeting will not take place with the supreme leader Kim Jong-un. “I have a good relationship with him. At some point we will see each other, but the agenda is very tight,” he justified.

“They want to meet, and so do I, but now I’m focused on the meeting with China tomorrow. However, we will return in the not distant future to meet with North Korea,” he guaranteed. Kim Jong-un had previously revealed his willingness to meet with his counterpart if they reduce pressure to renounce his nuclear program.

In a speech to the leaders gathered at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, the North American president assured that the trade agreement with South Korea will be signed “very soon.” Both countries announced a pact at the end of July that lowered tariffs on Seoul in exchange for investing more than $350 billion in the United States.

If Trump received the golf club from the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, those present continued upon his arrival in South Korea. Prime Minister Lee Jae-myung handed over to his guest replica of gold crown discovered in Gyeongju royal tombs and awarded him the highest national recognition for his “contribution to peace on the Korean Peninsula and his continued role as a peacemaker.”

Lee, who pledged to increase South Korea’s defense spending, asked his counterpart for help to ensure fuel for small nuclear reactors for submarines which, in his opinion, would serve to deter war threats from Pyongyang and Beijing.