US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are set to meet on Thursday, with their countries appearing closer than ever to a trade deal.
Officials on both sides said earlier this week that they had reached a consensus "to address their respective concerns". US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent went as far as to say that he did not expect the 100% levy Trump had threatened to impose on Chinese goods to take effect.
That's far from the only concern. The world's two biggest economies are competing over everything - from tit-for-tat tariffs, to access to the critical minerals and semiconductors that underpin advanced manufacturing.
Even TikTok, the hugely popular Chinese-owned app, has become a long-running source of tension because of national security concerns. Observers are expecting Trump and Xi to finalise the deal on the sale of TikTok's US operations when they come face to face.
The meeting is expected to happen at the Gimhae International Airport in the South Korean city of Busan - soon after Xi arrives in the country for the Apec summit, and just before Trump flies out.
