US President Donald Trump is confident of striking a trade deal when he holds talks with China's leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit in South Korea.

Trump is preparing for his first meeting of his second term with XI tomorrow, and says he's hopeful he can come away with a deal to pause steeper US tariffs if China curbs critical minerals experts controls.

"I think we have a really good chance of making a very comprehensive deal," Trump said this week aboard Air Force One as he headed to Asia for a three-nation trip.

He also said the Chinese "want to make a deal and we want to make a deal."

While the APEC summit is set to be held in Gyeongju, the high-stakes Trump-Xi meeting is expected to take place in the city of Busan.

The meeting follows months of volatile moves i

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