China Signals Shift to Multipolar World Order as Trump and Xi Prepare for Critical Trade Talks

Trump commenced an Asian tour on Sunday, which will culminate in a meeting with Xi in South Korea.

China's foreign minister issued a warning on Monday about the emergence of a "multipolar world," in what appeared to be a veiled criticism directed at Washington ahead of crucial discussions between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping.

Global financial markets are closely monitoring Thursday's scheduled meeting between the two presidents, hoping it might halt the trade conflict ignited by the comprehensive tariffs Trump announced after returning to office this year.

During a forum in Beijing on Monday, Wang Yi called for "an end to politicizing economic and trade issues, artificially fragmenting global markets, and resorting to trade wars and tariff battles."

"Frequently withdrawing from agreements and reneging on commitments, while enthusiastically forming blocs and cliques, has subjected multilateralism to unprecedented challenges," Wang stated, without explicitly naming any specific countries.

"The tide of history cannot be reversed and a multipolar world is coming," Wang emphasized.

Trump began his Asian tour on Sunday, which will conclude with a meeting with Xi in South Korea – marking the first face-to-face talks between the leaders since the US president commenced his second term in January.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng have already conducted two days of trade negotiations, working toward an agreement to avoid additional 100 percent tariffs scheduled to take effect on November 1.

China's vice commerce minister, Li Chenggang, indicated that a "preliminary consensus" had been achieved.

Bessent informed ABC that the additional tariffs had effectively been averted, and revealed that an agreement regarding rare earths and American soybean exports had been reached.