WASHINGTO D.C. — President Donald Trump embarked on a high-stakes tour of Asia on Saturday, bound for meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and the possibility of a dramatic reunion with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, according to AFP.
The weeklong trip — Trump’s first to the region since reclaiming the White House in January — will take him through Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea, blending diplomacy, trade, and the theater of potential historic encounters.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said he anticipated a “very good meeting” with Xi as both sides seek to end the bruising trade war that has rattled global markets. “I think China wants to make a deal,” he said, warning that new 100 percent tariffs would take effect November 1 if negotiations fail.
U.S. and Chinese officials wrapped up what the Treasury Department called “very constructive” preliminary talks in Malaysia ahead of the leaders’ summit.
Trump also reignited speculation about another face-to-face with Kim, whom he last met at the Demilitarized Zone in 2019. “I’m open to it,” he said. “I had a great relationship with him.” Asked about Pyongyang’s demand for recognition as a nuclear state, Trump replied, “They’ve got a lot of nuclear weapons — I’ll say that.”
South Korean officials hinted that a Trump–Kim encounter could occur during his stop there for the APEC summit, calling the chances “considerable.”
Trump’s journey begins Sunday in Kuala Lumpur for the ASEAN summit, where he’s expected to sign a trade pact with Malaysia and witness a peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia. On the sidelines, he plans to meet Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, signaling a thaw after months of friction.
In Tokyo, Trump will meet newly appointed Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s first woman leader and a protégé of the late Shinzo Abe, whom Trump once called “a great friend.”
The centerpiece of the trip comes Thursday in South Korea, where Trump and Xi will meet for the first time since his return to power — a showdown that could reshape trade, test alliances, and reveal whether Washington and Beijing can move from confrontation to compromise.
