• Bessent and He Lifeng hold talks at the airport.
• Each met South Korean president separately.
• Talks to set stage for Trump-Xi summit in Beijing.

INCHEON, South Korea: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng started talks in South Korea on Wednesday to lay the groundwork ahead of this week’s summit of the leaders of the world’s two biggest economies in Beijing.

Bessent and He began the talks at Incheon airport after each met South Korean President Lee Jae Myung at the presidential Blue House, Reuters witnesses said.

The discussions are expected to cover a range of issues to prepare for talks in Beijing between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping that are set to run from Thursday to Friday.

The talks between Bessent and He were likely to be exploratory with limited immediate outcomes, said Kim Tae-hwang, a professor of international trade at Myongji University in Seoul.

“Both sides are essentially in a holding pattern ahead of the summit, sounding each other out, rather than seeking breakthroughs,” he said.

China’s lead trade negotiator, Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang, and Vice Finance Minister Liao Min were among the officials accompanying He.

At the Beijing summit, the leaders are expected to agree to set up forums to ease mutual trade and investment, while China is expected to announce purchases related to Boeing aeroplanes, American agriculture and energy, US officials have said.

Beijing also wants the United States to relax curbs on exports of advanced semiconductors, and has raised concerns about a bill to keep critical chip-making equipment from China.

They are considering extending a truce on China’s export curbs on rare earths at the summit, but Chinese customs data shows Beijing is still throttling shipments of the materials vital for defence and manufacturing.

The summit talks may also encompass the Iran war, as China, which maintains ties with Iran, is a major buyer of its oil.

Trump said on Tuesday, however, he did not think he would need China’s help to end the conflict, even as hopes for a lasting peace deal dwindled and Tehran tightened its grip over the Strait of Hormuz.

Neither side has strong incentives to make early concessions, however, said Kim, the academic, adding that the United States is unlikely to ease curbs on key technologies such as semiconductors.

China, in turn, buoyed by relatively resilient growth and trade performance, is under less pressure to offer significant compromises, he said.

LeBron James has once again left the basketball world guessing about his future, declining to commit to returning for another NBA season after the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs on Monday, 11 May.

Following a 115-110 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 of their second-round playoff series, James, 41, spoke candidly about what comes next. 

“I don’t know what the future holds,” he said, adding that he plans to step away and spend time with his family before making any decisions.

“Nobody has any idea what the future holds, and I don’t either. I’ll take time to recalibrate and look over the season and see what’s best for my future, and when I get to that point, everyone will know.”

The remarks have reignited retirement speculation surrounding the league’s all-time leading scorer, who finished the final game of his 23rd season with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

The timing adds further intrigue. 

James is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, meaning if he does decide to continue playing, it could be with an entirely different team. 

He earned $52.6 million during the 2025-26 season, and any move elsewhere would require a pay cut, something that would be a first in his career, according to The Athletic.

This is not the first time James has left the door open on retirement.

After the Lakers’ exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves last year, he offered similarly uncertain words. 

“I don’t have an answer to that. Something I’ll sit down with my family, my wife and my support group and kind of just talk through it and see what happens. I don’t know the answer to that right now, to be honest.”

For now, the question of whether basketball’s greatest ever player has played his last game remains unanswered.

SEOUL: South Korea is reviewing a phased contribution to efforts to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back said on Wednesday, signalling support steps short of military participation, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Ahn told a press conference with South Korean media correspondents in Washington that he had conveyed Seoul’s position at a meeting with US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on Monday.

“We said at about this level that, fundamentally, we will participate as a responsible member of the international community and that we will review ways to contribute in a phased manner,” Ahn said, according to Yonhap.

Ahn said possible forms of phased support could include expressions of political support, personnel dispatches, information-sharing and the provision of military assets, while stressing that no detailed discussions had taken place on expanding South Korean troop involvement.

“There was no deep discussion on something like specifically expanding our military’s participation,” he said, adding that any decisions would need to follow domestic legal procedures.

Attack on South Korean ship

The meeting between South Korean and US defence chiefs came a day after Seoul denounced an attack on a South Korean-flagged vessel near the Strait of Hormuz last week.

South Korea’s presidential office strongly condemned the incident but said it was still investigating responsibility for the attack.

At the meeting, Hegseth said Washington expected allies to “stand shoulder-to-shoulder” amid rising global threats, citing US President Donald Trump’s authorisation of what he called Operation Epic Fury as evidence of the administration’s resolve.

He praised Seoul’s plans to increase defence spending and assume greater responsibility for the security of the Korean Peninsula, calling it an example of alliance burden-sharing.

Separately, Ahn told reporters Hegseth expressed understanding over South Korea’s position on a conditions-based transfer of wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States, and the goal of completing the transition at an early date.

According to Yonhap, Ahn also said that the two sides exchanged views on other alliance issues including plans to build nuclear-powered submarines.

He said there had been no discussion during the talks about a reduction in US forces stationed in South Korea or about the strategic flexibility of US troops stationed in the country.