Chile Wednesday cancelled the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit where President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping planned to meet and potentially sign Phase One of a trade accord between the two nations.
The cancellation by Chile came as social unrest continued to rock Santiago. APEC officials indicated there were no plans to hold the meeting elsewhere, but Reuters reported that the U.S. was indicating a Trump/Xi meeting could take place in Alaska or Hawaii with China said to be suggesting Macau.
Trump has also indicated he may want to travel to Australia for the Presidents Cup golf tournament that starts December 9, putting him in the region.
Chinese diplomatic observers and government advisers said the APEC cancellation had eased the pressure on negotiators from China and the U.S. to finalize the Phase One portion of the trade deal. The Trump administration insisted it would continue to press to finalize Phase One of the accord in the coming weeks.
“We look forward to finalizing Phase One of the historic trade deal with China within the same time frame, and when we have an announcement, we’ll let you know,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley told news services.