Xi, Trump to tee off in Florida

GOLF DIPLOMACY Meet expected to clear air on status of bilateral relations

Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet US counterpart, Donald Trump on April 6 and 7 at a resort in Florida for the much anticipated first bilateral talks between the two leaders.

“At the invitation of President Sauli Niinisto of the Republic of Finland and President Donald Trump of the United States of America, President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to Finland from April 4 to 6, and he will meet with President Trump at Mar-alago, Florida, the United States from April 6 to 7,” Lu Kang, foreign ministry announced at the daily press brefing on Thursday.

The first meeting between Xi and Trump, who last month had a phone conversation, will take place amid increasing tension over issues like trade, North Korea and the ongoing South China Sea disputes .

After taking over the presidency, Trump triggered criticism from China after having a phone conversation with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan, which Beijing sees as a breakaway region.

Trump had even questioned the efficacy of following the ‘one China’ policy.

But the phone conversation with Xi had somewhat calmed the bilateral nerves.

Next week’s meeting is expected to clear-up the status of bilateral ties.

“These bumps in the road have been mitigated due to comprehensive efforts by both sides through official, semi-official and non-official channels, and the Sino-USrelationshiphasavoided conflict and crisis,” An Gang, from Pangoal Institution, a Beijing-based think tank told the state controlled Global Times.

“It is widely expected that the upcoming meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump will redefine the Sino-US relationship... How to deal with the industrial competition is a common problem faced by the two economies,” the newspaper said.