US President Donald Trump meets with visiting South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at the White House on August 25, 2025. Photo: VCG
China-related statements came under the spotlight during the leaders' summit between US and South Korea on Monday local time in Washington, as the US President Donald Trump said he expects to visit China this year or shortly afterward and 600,000 Chinese students would be allowed into the US to study at colleges, according to media reports. Analysts believe that President Trump's reference to China during his discussions with the South Korean leader subtly signals a positive intent to improve China-US relations.
Speaking to reporters while meeting South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in Washington, President Trump said that "At some point, probably during this year or shortly thereafter, we'll go to China," per an AFP report.
"We're going to have a great relationship with China," Trump was quoted as saying.
"Maybe we will go together. Do you (Lee Jay-myung) want to go together? We can share a plane, we will save energy, we will save a little ah, you know the ozone" said Trump in response to a Chinese reporter's question.
In response to media inquiry over Trump's remarks of visiting China, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday that China has always handled and developed China-US relations in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence, and win-win cooperation, while firmly safeguarding its sovereignty, security, and development interests.
"We hope that the US will work with China in the same direction and promote the stable, healthy, and sustainable development of China-US relations. The head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China-US relations. The heads of state of China and the US maintain close exchanges and communication," the spokesperson added.
Before meeting with Lee, Trump announced 600,000 Chinese students would be allowed into the US to study at colleges amid ongoing trade talks with China.
"We're going to allow their students to come in. It's very important, 600,000 students. It's very important. But we're going to get along with China," he added, according to Fox News.
Fox news noted that Trump's latest visa offer comes against the backdrop of China-US trade talks. The "shift in tone" began in June, when he said that he has "always been in favor" of welcoming students from China.
In May, the US government announced it would "aggressively revoke" visas for Chinese students, and revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future applications from China. The move was strongly condemned and opposed by Chinese Foreign Ministry.
When Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Monday questioned how granting visas to 600,000 Chinese students aligned with "putting America first," the US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick said that the latest Washington plan to accept up to 600,000 Chinese students is based on "a rational economic view."
Li Haidong, a professor at China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that Trump's discussion of China in the presence of South Korean leader highlights that coordinating US-South Korean policies toward China has become an inevitable and central topic in their bilateral meetings.
Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that President Trump's reference to China during his meeting with the South Korea leader subtly signaled a willingness and positive intent to enhance US-China relations.
The expert noted that China's position on China-US relations is clear: mutual benefit and complementary progress. "Some of Trump's statements echo this perspective," he said.
"President Trump demonstrates a perspective prioritizing economic interests, advocating for coordination among major powers, and adopting a relatively pragmatic approach," Li said.