New York: US President Donald Trump arrives in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday on the first leg of his Asia tour that will take him to Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan while a trade war rages.
Trade and investment deals across the region are expected, but the most-watched event of the tour will be his meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping in South Korea after the two countries have raised their confrontation level, facing off over tariffs, rare earths, technology, and drugs.
Trump was confident about a deal, saying on Thursday, “I think we are going to come out very well and everyone’s going to be very happy.”
Their meeting on October 30 will take place on the sidelines of the 21-member forum, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Gyeongju, a historic city of South Korea.
Trump’s first visit to the region will start off at the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday and Monday.
In addition to the leaders of its 10 members and Trump, Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, and Prime Ministers Li Qiang of China, Sanae Takaichi of Japan, Anthony Albanese of Australia and Mike Carney of Canada are on the guest list of dialogue partners given the region’s economic heft.
Trump’s team will include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was invited, will participate virtually.
Several ASEAN members are reeling from the tariffs set by Trump in August, especially Laos and Myanmar whose tariff is 40 per cent.
Thailand and Cambodia, which had a brief skirmish this year that was settled with Trump’s involvement, are likely to sign a peace agreement in his presence, boosting the image he projects of a peacemaker.
The APEC summit will take place under the shadow of the Trump-Xi meeting, and reports say that the US leader will likely skip the actual leader’s summit meeting and use his two days there for bilateral meetings.
Beijing threatened wide-ranging export controls on rare earth minerals in which it has a near monopoly, and the US warned it would add a 100 per cent tariff to those already imposed, which could increase the total tariffs on China to as much as 157 per cent.
Trump has demanded that China rescind the restrictions on rare earth minerals and magnets, start buying soybeans, and stop the flow of the drugs fentanyl and the materials used for making it.
An agreement at their summit would depend on whether Trump and Xi can make a deal on these and other outstanding trade issues or make a show of a compromise.
Trump said, “When we finish our meetings in South Korea, China and I will have a really fair and really great trade deal together.”
He is expected to use the meetings with leaders attending the summit to get more investments, and he is expected to be at a meeting of APEC CEOs, even as he is likely to skip the leaders’ summit.
The summit’s theme is “Building a Sustainable Tomorrow: Connect, Innovate, Prosper”, and Trump finds the word “sustainable” distasteful as it is linked to climate change and renewable energy.
South Korea may confer him the highest civilian honour, the Grand Order of Mugunghwa (Eternal Blossom).
There had been speculation that Trump could meet North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un during the trip, but that isn’t going to happen.
On Wednesday, North Korea fired several ballistic missiles, the first such launches since May, true to its image of an international outlaw.
Sandwiched between the two summits is Trump’s visit to Japan from Monday to Wednesday.
The visit will be heavy on trade and investment issues and will include a visit to the Imperial Palace for a meeting with Emperor Naruhito.
(IANS)
