‘A Multipolar World Is Coming,’ Says China Ahead of Trump–Xi Talks

China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned on Monday that “a multipolar world is coming,” in what appeared to be a veiled swipe at Washington ahead of high-stakes talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week.

Global markets are closely watching the planned meeting between the two leaders, scheduled for Thursday in South Korea, to see whether it can defuse the trade tensions reignited by Trump’s sweeping tariffs earlier this year.

Speaking at a forum in Beijing, Wang 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 said, without naming any country. “The tide of history cannot be reversed, and a multipolar world is coming.”

Trump began his tour of Asia on Sunday, with his upcoming meeting with Xi set to be the first face-to-face encounter between the two since Trump began his second term in January.

Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng have held two days of negotiations aimed at averting additional 100 percent tariffs due to take effect on November 1.

China’s Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang said a “preliminary consensus” had been reached. Bessent later told ABC News that the new tariffs had been effectively avoided and that the two sides had also reached agreements on rare earths and U.S. soybean exports.