US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he expected a “lot of problems” to be solved with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in their talks on dialling down their hugely damaging trade war.The US leader said he expected their first face-to-face talks of his second term to result in the United States lowering tariffs imposed on China in relation to fentanyl.”I think we’re going to have a great meeting with President Xi of China, and a lot of problems are going to be solved,” Trump said en route to South Korea where he is due to meet with Xi.He also said he was “not sure” whether he would discuss the sensitive topic of self-ruling Taiwan during his meeting with the Chinese leader.Trump’s visit to key US ally South Korea is the third leg of an Asia tour that has seen him lavished with praise and presents at a regional summit in Malaysia and by Japan’s new premier in Tokyo.But the eyes of the world — and of global markets — will be on the talks set for Thursday, the first time in six years Trump sits down with Xi.It could determine whether the United States and China can halt a trade war that has sent international supply chains into panic.Negotiators from Beijing and Washington have both confirmed a “framework” has been agreed. It is now up to Trump and Xi to nail it down during their meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the South Korean city of Gyeongju.William Yang, an analyst at the International Crisis Group, said however that there appeared to be a “mismatch” in expectations.The United States “is eager to reach any trade deal that Trump could declare as a victory”, while China is focused on “building more mutual trust, managing longstanding differences, and steadying the bilateral trade relationship”, he added.- ‘Complicated’ -Trump’s trip to South Korea follows two days in Japan, where new conservative premier Sanae Takaichi hailed a “golden age” in bilateral ties.Takaichi heaped praise on Trump, saying she would nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize and giving him a golf club owned by assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe, a close friend of the US president. In Korea, Trump was expected to receive a replica of a gold crown from the ancient Silla era.Just hours before Trump’s arrival, North Korea announced it had test launched sea-to-surface cruise missiles off its western coast in a show of strength against Pyongyang’s “enemies”.Trump has extended an invitation to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to meet while he is on the peninsula but on Air Force One Trump said his focus was on the Xi meeting.”At some point, we’ll be involved with North Korea. I think they’d like to, and I’d like to,” Trump told reporters.The US president will also hold a summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung — their second in-person talks just two months after a meeting in Washington.Discussion will likely be focused on trade.In July, Trump said Washington had agreed to cut tariffs on South Korean imports to 15 percent in exchange for a $350 billion investment pledge by Seoul.Steep auto tariffs remain in place, and the two governments are still divided over the structure of the investment pledge.US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent admitted Monday there was still “a lot of details to work out” in what he said was a “complicated” deal, while Trump has denied that there was a “snag” in the talks.Activists plan to welcome the US leader, whose sweeping tariffs triggered the trade war, with anti-Trump demonstrations in Gyeongju condemning his “predatory investment demands”.- DMZ meeting? -Adding to the diplomatic drama, Trump has said that he would “love to meet” North Korea’s Kim during his visit and even suggested sanctions could be a topic for conversation.They last met in 2019 at the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the fraught Cold War frontier that has separated North and South Korea for decades.But North Korea is yet to respond publicly to the invitation. Officials in Seoul appear divided as to whether it will go ahead.Kim said last month he had “fond memories” of his meetings with Trump.He also expressed openness to talks if the United States dropped its “delusional” demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear weapons.”Trump’s made it clear he wants to meet,” Chad O’Carroll, founder of the specialist website NK News, told AFP.”The ball is in Kim Jong Un’s court.”But the US leader now faces a different Kim than in 2019 — one emboldened with crucial backing from Russia after sending thousands of North Korean troops to fight alongside Moscow’s forces.”North Korea has time on its side and isn’t as isolated as before,” said Hong Min, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification.burs-stu/hmn

New Zealand police raided a shipping insurer’s offices over allegations it offered cover to tankers breaking Russian sanctions, a senior detective said Wednesday.Police, who swooped mid-October, did not name the company but the searches followed allegations against New Zealand-headquartered Maritime Mutual Insurance Association.The insurer denies breaching or trying to circumvent any sanctions, including against Russia and Iran.Financial crimes officers seized records on October 16 at company offices in Auckland and Christchurch, also searching a home in Auckland, said Detective Inspector Christiaan Barnard.”Three people were detained and spoken to during the search warrants. At this point, no criminal charges have been filed,” he said in a statement to AFP.Police acted on warrants related to alleged breaches of New Zealand’s Russia Sanctions Act.”As this is an active investigation, NZ Police are not in a position to provide further details, however, we are being assisted by partner agencies, both domestically and internationally.”Insurance journal Lloyd’s List has previously reported that Maritime Mutual had insured tankers shipping Iranian oil.Reuters said this week that the New Zealand insurer had helped tankers carrying Russian and Iranian oil to avoid Western sanctions by providing them with insurance.It said New Zealand, Australia, Britain and the United States were investigating the insurer over alleged violations of sanctions and financial laws, citing an unnamed source.Maritime Mutual Insurance Association (MMIA) denied the allegations.”MMIA categorically rejects any suggestion that the Company has breached applicable sanctions or engaged in conduct designed to circumvent them,” it said in a statement.”For clarification, MMIA does not provide, and has never knowingly provided, P&I (protection and indemnity) insurance to vessels transporting sanctioned Iranian or Russian energy products in contravention of New Zealand, UK, EU, US, or other applicable sanctions regimes.”Maritime Mutual said it immediately withdraws cover from any vessel found to be breaching sanctions.Russia’s shadow fleet is estimated to include up to 1,000 ships, which frequently change their flags and whose ownership is unclear.The fleet has enabled Moscow to keep exporting its crude oil for much-needed revenue despite curbs on exports since its illegal invasion of Ukraine.New Zealand is “engaging” with the shipping insurer, a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters told AFP in a statement.”While the Minister does not comment on operational matters, we can confirm that New Zealand agencies are aware of MMIA and engaging with it actively on regulatory matters. However, we are unable to make any further comment,” the spokesperson said.New Zealand takes breaches of UN sanctions, and the sanctions against Russia, “very seriously”, the official said.