US President Donald Trump departed for a multi-nation Asia trip on Saturday, with the centerpieces being a high-stccakes trade negotiation with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the prospect of a spontaneous meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The President’s first regional swing since his return to the White House in January will take him to Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea, where trade and peace diplomacy top the agenda.
Crucial Trade Talks with Xi
The most closely watched event is President Trump’s meeting with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, set for Thursday in South Korea on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. The leaders will attempt to secure a deal to halt the ongoing trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump expressed optimism for a “very good meeting” and indicated he expects China to make a deal to stave off further 100 per cent tariffs due to take effect on November 1. This comes after US and Chinese officials held “very constructive” preliminary trade talks in Malaysia, which are expected to resume on Sunday. The main points of discussion are anticipated to include tariff relief, Chinese purchases of US products, and controlling the trafficking of the opioid Fentanyl.
Open to a Meeting with Kim
Adding a layer of unpredictability to the trip, President Trump fueled speculation about a potential meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, stating he was “open to it.” While US officials have noted a meeting is not on the official schedule, South Korea’s reunification minister has suggested a “considerable” chance for the two leaders to meet while Trump is on the Korean peninsula, mainly for the regional summit.
Responding to North Korea’s demand to be recognized as a nuclear state, Trump acknowledged, “Well, I think they are sort of a nuclear power… They got a lot of nuclear weapons, I’ll say that.” The leaders last met in 2019 at the Demilitarized Zone.
Diplomacy in Malaysia and Japan
Trump’s tour begins in Malaysia, where he will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, an event he skipped several times in his first term.
- Malaysia: Trump is scheduled to sign a new trade deal with Malaysia and witness the signing of a peace accord between Thailand and Cambodia, an effort he has touted in his continued quest for a Nobel Peace Prize. He also expects to meet Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the summit.
- Japan: The President arrives in Tokyo on Monday to meet with Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday, who was recently named Japan’s first woman prime minister. Trump praised Takaichi, an acolyte of the late former Premier Shinzo Abe, with whom Trump had a close relationship.
The trip—Trump’s first major overseas venture since his second inauguration—is being closely watched by global markets and diplomatic circles as he seeks to re-establish personal diplomacy and transactional trade policy in one of the world’s most vital regions.