U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said that he hopes to get the ownership of the land where U.S. military bases in South Korea during a meeting with visiting South Korean President Lee Jae-myung at the White House.
The two sides discussed issues such as the U.S.-South Korea alliance, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, and manufacturing cooperation between the two countries.
Trump expressed his hope that South Korea would transfer the ownership of the land used for U.S. military bases to the United States, rather than continuing the current "lease" arrangement.
However, according to the U.S.-South Korea agreement on the stationing of U.S. forces, South Korea currently not only provides the land for U.S. military bases free of charge but also bears a significant portion of the costs associated with maintaining the troops.
During the talks, Trump expressed his hope to meet with Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), later this year and said that together with Lee, he expects to gain major progress in relations with the DPRK.
Regarding economic ties between the U.S. and South Korea, Trump mentioned that he would not rule out "renegotiating" the trade agreement reached between the two countries in July.
Lee emphasized his hope that Trump would pave a "new path to peace" on the Korean Peninsula. He also said that South Korea is willing to participate in the revitalization of manufacturing industries, such as shipbuilding, which the U.S. is currently promoting.
Trump seeks ownership of US military bases' land in South Korea
Trump seeks ownership of US military bases' land in South Korea
The Global Governance Initiative (GGI) proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping offers a pivotal framework for shaping "a fair, honest, and mutually beneficial" international order, a Russian presidential special envoy said.
Boris Titov, Russia’s presidential special representative for relations with international organizations on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighted the importance of the GGI. He shared the insights in a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN). The interview took place as leaders from the 27-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) family gather in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek from Monday to Tuesday to discuss global governance, multilateralism, and other pressing issues.
At the SCO Plus meeting in north China's Tianjin Municipality in 2025, President Xi proposed the GGI. The initiative aims to uphold multilateralism, promote world peace and security, advance the implementation of the United Nations' SDGs, reform and improve the global governance system, and further the development and progress of humanity.
Designed to be a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet by the year 2030, the SDGs refer to a collection of 17 interconnected goals that address global challenges ranging from poverty and hunger to climate action and strong institutions.
"Chinese President Xi Jinping's initiative, called the Global Governance Initiative, is very important for the development of the entire global space. And it essentially encompasses all the main goals of SDG 17, which is called 'Partnership for Sustainable Development,'" the Russian official said.
"Indeed, it's impossible for one country to resolve all the issues facing humanity, the challenges and the risks facing the community. Within the framework of these programs, we need to discuss what the global architecture will look like in the near future. Because many changes have occurred since World War II, today, completely different relations have emerged between countries, which, unfortunately, often lead to conflict. For the world to appear more sustainable, it must have sustainable global governance," he said.
Noting that only about 17 percent of the SDGs are currently on track to be met by 2030, Titov said Russia had proposed forming an Astana Group to advance the critical agenda ahead of UN talks on the post-2030 development framework, which is slated to take place next year.
"We formed the so-called Astana Group on Sustainable Development, and together with our partners, we propose formulating the foundations of the architecture of new Sustainable Development Goals for the future within the UN. Therefore, we very much hope that the SCO, China, and Russia will be able to offer the world a new world order that will be fair, honest, and mutually beneficial for all," he said.
Global Governance Initiative key for shaping fairer int'l order: Russian official
