Washington (TDI): US President Donald Trump has embarked on a five-day visit to Asia, aiming to showcase his trademark deal-making skills in a region still reeling from his aggressive trade measures.
The trip, his first to the continent since taking office for a second term in January, will take him to Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea.
According to the White House, Trump hopes to secure a series of agreements on trade, critical minerals, and regional ceasefires before his most anticipated encounter, a potential meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, later in the week.
The visit comes as Trump attempts to preserve a delicate ceasefire he helped negotiate in the Israel–Gaza conflict, even as the Russia–Ukraine war rages on and Washington’s trade standoff with Beijing shows no signs of abating. Both nations have slapped steep tariffs on each other’s exports and issued threats to restrict trade in essential minerals and technologies.
While the White House has confirmed Trump’s Asia itinerary, details about his face-to-face with Xi remain uncertain. Sources familiar with the planning say the two sides have been preparing for “manageable” discussions rather than a sweeping trade breakthrough, Reuters reported.
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Possible outcomes could include limited tariff relief, extensions of current rates, or China pledging to purchase US soybeans and Boeing aircraft. In return, Washington could ease restrictions on high-end semiconductor exports to China, while Beijing might relax its controls on rare earth minerals.
However, officials acknowledge the talks could just as easily end without concrete results. On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the upcoming Trump–Xi interaction as a “pull-aside,” hinting at a brief, informal exchange. Yet Trump later contradicted that assessment, saying, “We’re going to have a pretty long meeting, a lot of issues, a lot of doubts, and a lot of tremendous assets to work through together.” China, for its part, has not officially confirmed whether the meeting will occur.
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Trump’s itinerary begins Sunday at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, where he may witness the signing of a ceasefire accord between Thailand and Cambodia, formalizing an agreement that halted months of border clashes earlier this year. The president has repeatedly portrayed himself as a “global peacemaker”, touting his ability to broker tough deals.
From Malaysia, Trump will travel to Tokyo to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s newly elected leader. Takaichi is expected to reaffirm her predecessor’s commitment to boost defense spending and proceed with roughly $550 billion in U.S.-directed investments, a move seen as bolstering Japan–US economic ties.
Trump’s final stop will be in Busan, where he intends to meet Xi on the sidelines of an international trade conference. He is scheduled to return to Washington before the start of the APEC leaders’ summit, according to the White House.
Trump has threatened to impose tariffs of up to 155% on Chinese goods starting November 1 if no agreement is reached, a move that could reignite the trade war and trigger swift retaliation from Beijing.
