WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump left on Friday for his first multi-country tour of Asia since he became president in January. The most important part of the trip is a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to try to end the trade war between the two biggest economies in the world.
The 79-year-old president will visit Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea, where he will meet with Xi. A high-ranking U.S. source said on Friday that the President is focused on delivering for the American people “in one of the most economically vibrant regions of the world, signing a series of economic agreements.”
Thoughts about North Korea Lessened
There has been a lot of talk about a possible, unexpected meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who had an odd relationship with Trump during his first term. This is especially true after Seoul’s reunification minister said there was a “considerable” likelihood of it happening. But the high-ranking U.S. official made it clear that a meeting with Kim is “not on the schedule,” even if both presidents have said they want to get back together.
A Search for Peace and Deals in Southeast Asia
President Trump’s first visit will be Malaysia, where he will arrive on Sunday for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) conference. He often avoided this gathering during his first term.
Trump is going to do the following at the ASEAN meeting:
Make a new trade deal with Malaysia.
He is in charge of making sure that Thailand and Cambodia sign a peace agreement, which is in line with his declared goal of winning a Nobel Peace Prize.
Possibly meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the side to fix broken diplomatic ties.
Meeting the first woman to be Prime Minister of Japan
After that, Trump will go to Tokyo and meet with Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday. Recently, Takaichi was named Japan’s first female prime minister.
Trump has put high tariffs on goods from all around the world in an effort to fix what he sees as “unfair trade balances” that are “ripping off the United States.” Japan has mostly been spared the harshest of these tariffs.
The Important China Summit
South Korea is the part of the trip that everyone is most looking forward to. On Wednesday, Trump will arrive in Busan, a port city in the south, before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting.
The President will meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on the fringes of APEC, speak to business executives at an APEC lunch, and host a banquet with U.S. tech leaders.
The main reason for the trip is the meeting with President Xi Jinping on Thursday, which will be the first since Trump took office again. Global markets are on high alert for any signs that the two leaders can stop the trade war, which has gotten worse because of Trump’s recent tariffs and a fight over Beijing’s rare earth limitations.
At first, the President of the United States said he would cancel the meeting and place new tariffs on minerals because of the issue. Then he changed his mind. Another high-ranking U.S. official corroborated the priority by saying, “The president is most interested in talking about the trade and economic relationship.” Trump himself said on Thursday that fentanyl will be the first topic of conversation. This is because he wants to put more pressure on Beijing to stop drug trafficking.
Former strategist Steve Bannon dubbed the Xi discussions a “throw of the iron dice” since a collapse would have significant ramifications. However, many observers do not expect a rapid breakthrough. Ryan Hass, a senior scholar at the Brookings Institution, said that the meeting is likely to be “a data point along an existing continuum rather than an inflection point in the relationship.”