TOPSHOT – US President Donald Trump (left) and China’s President Xi Jinping arrive for talks at Gimhae Air Base next to Gimhae International Airport in Busan on October 30, 2025. Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will seek a ceasefire in their bruising trade war on October 30, with the US president predicting a “great meeting” but Beijing is more cautious. (Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP) (Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | getty images
Hello, I am Hui Ji writing to you from Singapore. Welcome to another edition of CNBC’s Daily Open.
As US President Donald Trump prepares to visit China, the Iran war still threatens to escalate before the summit even begins.
With oil rising, Saudi With Aramco profits rising, and US futures falling, investors are entering a week where the Iran war has hit trade, tariffs and rare earths alike.
What you need to know today
US President Donald Trump will attend his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping amid the conflict looming over him, despite efforts to end the Iran war.
Over the weekend, Trump rejected one of Iran’s proposals as “completely unacceptable.” Reports in Iranian media and The Wall Street Journal stated that Tehran sought to “end the war on all fronts” as well as receive sanctions relief and Iranian monitoring of the Strait of Hormuz.
Details remain unclear. Iran continues to resist Washington’s demands over its nuclear program and stockpile of highly enriched uranium, with no signs that the talks are close to a conclusion.
In an effort to exert even more pressure, the State Department imposed sanctions on companies and individuals in the Middle East and China for allegedly helping Iran in its war efforts.
These developments show that the conflict is still not under control. Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that the war with Iran “is not over.”
Against that backdrop, US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant will visit both South Korea and Japan ahead of Trump’s summit in China. He is expected to meet Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takachi in Tokyo on Tuesday and Chinese Vice Prime Minister He Lifeng in Seoul on Wednesday.
After the latest developments, the futures prices of the US market slipped, although the markets of Asia seemed to be moving away from this trend, South Korea’s Kospi opened at a new record level.
Oil prices climbed as peace prospects dimmed, with international benchmarks Brent and US West Texas Intermediate both up more than 3% to trade at $105.09 and $99.23, respectively.
A surge in energy prices helped Saudi Aramco report a 26% year-on-year rise in first-quarter profit on Sunday, beating analysts’ forecasts. This advantage was aided by the full-capacity operation of a major pipeline, allowing it to bypass the increasingly vulnerable Strait of Hormuz.
Trump probably still wants a better deal with Iran. But before he can rewrite that script, he must first get to Beijing.
– Lim Hui Ji
