G20 summit 2019: Trump meets leaders in Osaka

Over a breakfast meeting, US President Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman discussed the US-Iran tensions, trade, and human rights, said the White House this morning.

The White House statement doesn't specify whether Trump and bin Salman discussed the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi (earlier, Trump declined to answer when asked whether he would raise the issue).

Read the White House statement here:

US President Donald Trump's most closely watched G20 meeting will be with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, which is due to take place at 11.30 a.m., local time, Saturday.

A senior Trump administration official said Monday that the President was "quite comfortable with where we are and quite comfortable with any outcome of those talks."

"It’s really just an opportunity for the President to maintain his engagement. He has an opportunity to see where the Chinese side is since the talks last left off."

Talks to end the year-long trade war have stalled since early May, with both Washington and Beijing blaming the other for the breakdown in relations.

North Korea expert John Delury said that the offer by US President Donald Trump to "shake hands" with Kim Jong Un at the DMZ made a meeting a "bit more likely."

But ultimately, it could come down to a "last minute" decision for Pyongyang, said Delury.

Delury, an associate professor at Yonsei University in Seoul, pointed to the surprise meeting between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in in May 2018, which helped solidify the US-North Korea summit in Singapore.

If the meeting happens, it'll come just a week after Kim met with President Xi Jinping in Pyongyang, the first visit by a Chinese leader to the city in over a decade.

Delury said Trump's tweet could be an attempt to keep Beijing out of Pyongyang-Washington relations.

"Keeping a direct line to Kim Jong Un means that the US doesn't have to rely on China as much and that means the US can focus on other issues, which for Trump trade is number one," he said.

It’s the second day of this year's G20 summit in the Japanese city of Osaka.

The G20, or Group of 20, is an annual summit for world leaders, foreign ministers, and central bank governors.

It includes 19 countries and the European Union, and accounts for about 80% of the global gross domestic product. Around two-thirds of the world's population live in a G20 country.

If you're just joining us now, here's what has happened so far and what else you need to know:

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has thanked US President Donald Trump for his warm welcome, at a breakfast meeting on the sidelines of the G20 in Osaka, Saturday. 

Trump heaped praise on bin Salman achieving what he termed "a revolution in a very positive way.” Trump also hailed bin Salman’s steps toward “opening up Saudi Arabia,” including for women.

He added, "And with you Mr President we did a lot of great achievement in the political side, security side, military side and the economical side especially, been never done before. So I believe that will continue in our both countries, good for GDP growth, job creation and more safety for both countries. So we hope to do more. " 

Both President Trump and the Saudi Crown Prince ignored questions from reporters over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The first independent report on the murder of Khashoggi from the UN's special rapporteur last week laid out evidence that suggests not only did Saudi officials at the highest level plan and carry out the killing, but that they carefully planned how best to hide the murder from the international community.

Chinese state-run media is playing up President Xi Jinping's remarks promising further liberalization of the country's economy, ahead of his meeting with US President Donald Trump Saturday.

According to Chinese state-run Xinhua, Xi pledged to lower tariffs, expand imports, set up new free trade zones and protect foreign companies' intellectual property.

But many US politicians and businesses have grown wary of Beijing's promises of reform, and Xi is likely to face a tougher set of demands from Trump.

If negotiations go poorly, Trump has threatened to impose new tariffs on Chinese imports, up to 25%, which could weaken the already slowing domestic economy hard.

US President Donald Trump says he made progress with his Chinese counterpart during pull-aside discussions last night ahead of their formal sit-down later this morning.

G20 leaders met for dinner on Friday evening at Osaka Castle, which is where Trump mostly likely spoke with Xi. The two are scheduled for a highly anticipated sit-down meeting today at 11:30 a.m. JST (10:30 p.m. ET).

“The relationship is very good with China. As to whether or not we can make a deal, time will tell,” Trump said.

He emphasized the importance of personal relationships with his foreign counterparts, saying it was necessary for securing peace.

“It’s about relationship,” Trump said. “Otherwise you end up in very bad wars and a lot of problems. Relationship is very important.”

After he finishes up at the G20 on Saturday, US President Donald Trump will be heading to South Korea to meet with President Moon Jae-in.

But in an unexpected tweet this morning, Trump hinted that he might be wiling to meet with another world leader during his trip.

"While (I'm in South Korea), if Chairman Kim of North Korea sees this, I would meet him at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)!" Trump said on his official Twitter.

Trump and Kim didn't leave their last meeting on the best of terms. Relations between Washington and Pyongyang deteriorated after Trump walked out of a meeting with the North Korean leader in Hanoi.

But Trump is said to be considering a trip to the DMZ and he told reporters in Japan that he had just "put out a feeler" if Kim would like to meet.

Trump said he wasn't sure whether the meeting would materialize, but expressed confidence his diplomatic opening with North Korea was already yielding results.

"I just put out a feeler because I don't know where he is right now. He may not be in North Korea," Trump said. "I said if Chairman Kim would want to meet, I'll be at the border. We seem to get along really well. That's a good thing, not a bad thing. For the stupid people who say, 'Oh, he gets along,' it's good get along."

"Frankly, if I didn't become president, you'd be having a war right now with North Korea," Trump said.

"I will be in South Korea. I let him know, and we'll see. We'll see each other for two minutes. That's all we can. But that will be fine," Trump said.

There has been no response from North Korea yet.

US President Donald Trump has a less packed schedule on Day 2 of the G20 summit but the meetings arguably have higher stakes.

At 8.15 a.m. JST (7.15 p.m. ET), Trump sat down with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, a controversial leader who the US President has regularly defended in recent months.

At 11.30 a.m JST (10.30 p.m. ET), the US President has his critical meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping where the two leaders will attempt to ease trade tensions between their countries.

The meeting is expected to last an estimated 90 minutes.

At about 1 p.m. JST (12.00 a.m. ET), Trump will sit down with Turkish President Recep Erdogan, his last official bilateral meeting of the trip.