Journalism of Courage
US President Donald Trump on Friday embarked on his first Asia trip of this term: a five-day, three-country visit where he is expected to pursue investment deals, regional peace efforts and a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to AP and Reuters.
The trip, covering Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, comes even as the US government shutdown stretches into another week, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers without pay.
“We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us. I think we’ll have a good meeting,” Trump told reporters, as per AP, as he left the White House on Friday night.
https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1981943263201559000 https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsTrump’s first destination is Kuala Lumpur, where he will attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and meet Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The White House said Trump will also take part in a joint signing ceremony with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia, finalising a ceasefire agreement following months of border tensions between the two countries.
Trump had earlier threatened to halt trade deals with both countries unless the fighting stopped. On Friday, he praised Anwar for helping mediate peace, telling reporters, “I told the leader of Malaysia, who is a very good man, I think I owe you a trip.”
According to Reuters, Trump may also meet Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Kuala Lumpur, though the meeting has not been confirmed. Lula has urged the US to ease a 40 per cent tariff on Brazilian imports and criticised US military activity near South America’s coast.
After Malaysia, Trump will travel to Japan, where he is expected to meet Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the country’s first female leader and a protégé of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with whom Trump shared close ties.
“That’s a good sign,” Trump said of Takaichi’s connection to Abe, reported AP. “I look forward to meeting her.”
Talks in Tokyo will likely focus on trade and investment, including progress on a $900 billion investment package by Japan and South Korea into US projects. Trump is also expected to meet Emperor Naruhito and visit American troops stationed in Japan, according to AP.
The centrepiece of Trump’s trip will be his face-to-face meeting with Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
The two leaders are expected to discuss the ongoing US-China trade war, with Reuters reporting that an interim deal could include partial tariff relief or renewed Chinese purchases of US soybeans and Boeing aircraft. However, officials said expectations for a major breakthrough remain low.
Trump has warned of raising tariffs on Chinese goods to 155 per cent from November 1 if no agreement is reached, a move likely to trigger retaliation from Beijing.
Talks are also expected to cover Taiwan, China’s export controls, and Beijing’s purchase of Russian oil.
“We’ll work out a lot of our questions and our doubts and our tremendous assets together,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, expressing optimism for a “pretty long meeting.”
China has yet to publicly confirm the meeting.
Despite speculation, there are no plans for Trump to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to US officials. The possibility of another meeting surfaced after South Korea’s Unification Minister suggested it could happen at the Demilitarised Zone, as it did in 2019.
Trump, however, downplayed the idea.
Back home, the US government shutdown continues to weigh heavily, with unpaid federal workers and disruptions in air travel. Democrats criticised Trump’s decision to travel abroad during the crisis.
(With inputs from agencies)
