Bessent says Trump, Xi to hold 'pull-aside' meeting in South Korea

WASHINGTON, Oct 22 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday that President Donald Trump is now scheduled for a "pull-aside" meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at an APEC summit in South Korea as the two countries spar over export controls.

Bessent told Fox Business Network that he was headed to Malaysia on Wednesday evening to meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng to iron out the dispute over China's rare-earth export controls and potential retaliation by the U.S. before the October 31-November 1 APEC summit.

Bessent said Trump and Xi are in frequent contact and "it would be a shame to waste their first in-person meeting during President Trump's second term trying to get past some problems, rather than moving towards more constructive dialog between the U.S. and China."