What to expect from Trump’s trip to Asia, including meeting with Xi: NPR

President Trump is heading to Asia for a nearly weeklong trip that includes a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Korea.

The trip also includes visits to Malaysia and Japan; Trump is also expected to meet with the leaders of those countries.

Trump’s visit comes at an uncertain time in the region and at home, where a prolonged government shutdown remains unresolved. The US has yet to finalize trade deals with Japan and Korea, and tensions between the US and China over trade have escalated in recent weeks, although Trump insists he will be able to strike a deal with Xi.

There was too a border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. That tension had been simmering for years, but erupted in the summer, killing dozens of civilians and soldiers. Both countries agreed to a ceasefire, partly after Trump threatened them with higher tariffs if the fighting continued. A negotiated peace deal should be signed at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur.

Trump chairs the peace agreement between Cambodia and Thailand in Malaysia

Trump will attend the ASEAN summit for the first time since 2017, where a key component will preside over the peace deal.

The president has been touting his ability to end “infinite” wars around the world for several months, including this conflict in Southeast Asia.

“I’ve ended seven endless wars. They said they couldn’t be ended. You’ll never solve them,” Trump said in his address to the United Nations General Assembly last month. “No president or prime minister, and for that matter no other country, has ever done anything even close, and I did it in just seven months. It’s never happened before. There’s never been anything like it.”

A US official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity said they do not expect China to participate in the peace deal signing ceremony because the US does not believe China played a “significant” or “consistent” role in the peace deal. although she did participate in the mediations. On Air Force One Friday evening, Trump told reporters that the Chinese “were not involved” in the deal but gave credit to Malaysia.

Trump will meet Japan’s new prime minister and discuss trade with Korea

South Korea has also recently faced its own turmoil, having recently elected President Lee Jae Myung after Lee’s predecessor declared martial law and was later ousted.

Lee has negotiated a framework of a trade deal with Trump, but details of the deal have yet to be finalized Korea’s pledge to invest $350 billion in the US

Trump will meet with Lee while in Korea – the first time the two have met in person since a recent ICE raid on a Hyundai-LG battery factory in Georgia resulted in the temporary detention of 300 South Korean workers and shocked the Koreans at home.

In addition to trade, it is likely that Lee and Trump will also discuss North Korea. Lee recently mentioned it CNN he hopes that Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un can ‘engage in a dialogue’. Trump said Friday he was open to meeting with Kim.

“I had a great relationship with him, and he probably knows I’m coming, right?” he told reporters. “But if you want to speak up, I’m open to it.”

While in Japan, Trump will sit down with the newly elected officials Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi – the country’s first female prime minister – and he will be received by the emperor.

Trump will also deliver remarks at the USS George Washington at the U.S. Naval Base in Yokosuka.

The meeting between Trump and Xi is unlikely to bring about change

Finally, Trump’s trip will end with a highly anticipated meeting with Xi on October 30 – although Beijing has not yet confirmed the meeting.

There have been months of back-and-forth over tariff negotiations between the US and China, which have kept the global economy on edge. Tensions had flared last summer when the two countries agreed to de-escalate.

But earlier this month, Beijing surprised Trump by announcing a further restriction on exports of rare earth metals, which the US and other countries depend on for military equipment and other technologies.

Trump threatened to cancel his meeting with Xi altogether and raise tariffs.

“This was a real surprise, not just for me, but for all the leaders of the free world.” Trump posted on Truth Social. “I was supposed to meet with President Xi in two weeks, at APEC, in South Korea, but now there seems to be no reason for that.”

Despite China’s recent moves, Trump recently spoke positively about his relationship with Xi and said he expected a “fantastic” deal with China.

However, experts say the meeting will likely be a moment to buy time for both countries.

“I’m not sure either side is fully prepared to back down from the positions they’ve taken,” said Ryan Hass, director of the China Center at Brookings, a liberal-leaning think tank in Washington.

He expects the meeting will result in an extension of the “trade truce” the US and China agreed to this summer, giving negotiators “time and space” to finalize a trade deal.