(Aboard Air Force One) Donald Trump is on his way on Saturday for a major tour of Asia, the highlight of which will be a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, with major issues for the world economy.
The US president said aboard Air Force One that he hoped for a “very good meeting” with Xi, and expected China to reach a deal to avoid additional 100% tariffs to take effect on 1er november.
Before Mr. Trump’s arrival in Kuala Lumpur, the trade discussions held in the Malaysian capital, for the first day, between China and the United States to find a solution to their trade war were “very constructive”, said a spokesperson for the US Treasury.
“Today’s discussions have ended. They have been very constructive and we expect them to resume in the morning of Sunday, this spokesperson told AFP after the meeting between the American Secretary of the Treasury, Scott Bessent, and the Chinese Vice-Premier, He Lifeng, at Merdeka 118, the second tallest skyscraper in the world.
Furthermore, Mr. Trump was open to a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during this tour, the first to the region since his return to power in January.
“I would like to, he knows we are going there,” he told journalists who asked him about the possibility of such an interview when he is on the Korean peninsula, at the end of his Asian tour. His last meeting with Kim Jong-un dates back to 2019.
KCNA PHOTO, PROVIDED BY REUTERS
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un
“If you want to spread the word, I’m open to that,” Trump said, adding, “I had a great relationship with him.”
Asked about his willingness to meet North Korea’s demand to be recognized as a nuclear state – a condition of any meeting by Pyongyang – the US president replied: “Well, I think they are somewhat of a nuclear power… They have a lot of nuclear weapons, I would say that.”
This Asia tour includes stops in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea.
All host countries should roll out the red carpet for Donald Trump to try to curry his favor and obtain the best possible agreements in terms of customs duties and security guarantees.
A senior US official said on Friday that Mr Trump would “keep his promises to the American people in one of the most economically dynamic regions of the world, by signing a series of economic agreements”, notably on rare earths.
In Kuala Lumpur, the American president will participate on Sunday in the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which he had snubbed several times during his first term.
He should conclude a trade agreement with Malaysia and, above all, attend the signing of a peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, who concluded a ceasefire on July 29, following an intervention by Donald Trump.
A meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is also planned for the ASEAN summit, the latter said aboard the presidential plane.
The two leaders began to iron out their differences after months of tensions linked primarily to the conviction of former far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, an ally of the White House tenant.
“All topics”
Donald Trump will then travel to Japan on Monday where he will meet the next day the nationalist Sanae Takaichi, who this week became the first woman to take over as head of the Japanese government.
She said she wanted “frank discussions” with the American president. Tokyo signed a trade agreement with Washington this summer, certain details of which remain to be discussed.
But the high point of the tour will take place in South Korea, where Donald Trump is expected from next Wednesday for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, on the sidelines of which he will have a meeting with Xi Jinping in Gyeongju, scheduled for Thursday.
Donald Trump said he hoped to reach an agreement with the Chinese president on “all subjects”, even if he mainly intended to “discuss the economic and commercial relationship”.
This meeting, which will be closely followed by the stock markets, is even more crucial since China announced a reduction in its exports of rare earths, and Donald Trump threatened in retaliation the threat of 100% additional customs duties for Chinese products.
The American president will also meet, during this summit, his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung, will deliver a speech to businessmen and will participate in an APEC leaders’ dinner, according to the White House.
