China confirms that Xi will meet with Trump for 'in-depth conversation on strategic issues'

China confirmed that Presidents Xi Jinping and Donald Trump will have a "deep" conversation on Thursday in South Korea about issues of mutual interest. 

The Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed Thursday’s meeting in Busan, a port city in southeastern South Korea, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

"During this meeting, the two leaders will have in-depth communication on long-term strategic issues in China-U.S. relations, as well as major issues of mutual interest," diplomatic spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a news conference.

"We are willing to work with the U.S. side to ensure that the meeting will have positive results, provide fresh guidance and inject new momentum into the stable development of relations" between the two countries, Guo added.

Donald Trump: "We will have a great meeting"

Donald Trump said Wednesday that he expects to resolve “a lot of problems” when he meets his Chinese counterpart in South Korea.

The president said he hopes to reduce tariffs on China related to fentanyl, a synthetic opioid linked to the drug use epidemic in the USA.

“I hope to reduce that because I think they’re going to help us with the fentanyl situation,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he prepared to travel from Japan to South Korea.

"China is going to work with U.S. law enforcement on the fentanyl issue," he added.

Separately, the United States is seeking for China to lift its export restrictions on rare earths, crucial minerals in the technology and defense industries. "I think we will have a great meeting with President Xi of China, and many problems will be solved," Trump concluded.