US President Donald Trump late Friday departed for a three-country tour to Asia with investment deals and peace efforts on the agenda, even as the US government shutdown continues with no deal in sight.
Trump’s five-day trip to the region will include stops in Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, Japan and then South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
In South Korea, Trump is set to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, marking the very first time the leaders meet in person during Trump’s second-term.
“The high-level question on this trip is really, who does the United States stand with, and what does it stand for,” said Mira Rapp-Hooper, a former official in the Biden administration.
But while the US president jets off to Asia, many federal workers missed their first full paycheck of the government shutdown.
Here’s his schedule:
Trump in Malaysia
Trump is expected to arrive in Malaysia on Sunday morning for the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur. On his first day, he is scheduled for a bilateral meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Awar Ibrahim.
Following that, he could oversee the signing of a peace treaty between Thailand and Cambodia, neighbors who were involved in brief skirmishes in May.
Trump may also meet with Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who said he was willing to discuss a wide range of topics, including tariffs on Brazilian exports and tensions with Venezuela, with the US president if they met.
Trump in Japan
After Malaysia, Trump travels to Japan and South Korea where he is likely to discuss investments worth at least $900 billion for US factories and projects in return for lowering their trade tariffs.
In Tokyo, Trump will meet with the country’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. He is also set to meet US troops stationed in Japan, according to US officials.
Trump in South Korea: meeting with Xi scheduled Oct. 30
In South Korea, Trump is set for a highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit.
While China is yet to confirm the meeting, the confirmation of the meeting yesterday by the White House signaled an intent to de-escalate tensions and put negotiations back on track, analysts said.
The potential meeting is slated to take place after months of volatile trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
Earlier this month, Beijing announced tighter export controls on rare earths and other critical minerals, a move Beijing said was in response to Washington’s expansion of export curbs on US technology.
Trump described the news as “shocking” and “out of the blue” and threatened to place an additional 100% tax on Chinese imports starting on Nov. 1 or sooner.
At one stage, Trump even threatened to cancel the meeting with Xi, writing on social media that “there seems to be no reason” to meet the Chinese leader.
Trump later told reporters that he had not canceled the meeting.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar
