The Xi Jinping meeting with Donald Trump “will be held in Macau,” sources familiar with the matter told the Times yesterday, despite the Foreign Ministry of China insisting it is “pure speculation.”
Last week, U.S. media reported that, due to Chile’s cancellation of the APEC Leaders’ Informal Meeting, China has proposed to the U.S. to hold a meeting between the two heads of state in Macau and sign the first phase of the trade agreement.
In response, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said, “This is pure speculation!”
According to the White House, the U.S. still expects to reach a historic agreement with China within the original time frame.
During the Foreign Ministry’s press conference held last week, Geng also said that consultations between the two sides are progressing smoothly and both will continue, as planned, to promote consultations and other work.
Concerning the Xi-Trump summit, he said that the two heads of state have been in contact through various channels and late last week said they will announce the venue soon.
Citing a trade source familiar with the issue, U.S.-based network Fox News first reported that China has suggested Macau as a possible replacement venue.
This suggestion has been corroborated by Reuters citing people “familiar with the matter” and Bloomberg reported that three people familiar with the state of U.S.-China discussions said that the teams have been looking at other locations in recent weeks and that China could be among them.
On Thursday, Wei Jianguo, former vice minister of the Ministry of Commerce and current vice president of China Center for International Economic Exchanges, played down the effect of the cancellation at a press briefing in Singapore.
“I don’t think the cancellation of the APEC meeting will have any impact on the U.S.-China trade deal,” said Wei. “The venue could move to China, the U.S., or any third-party country. The two sides will surely talk about it.” Staff reporters
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