On the morning of October 26, US President Donald Trump arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, starting a 5-day trip to Asia, where he is expected to hold high-level trade talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Notably, just before leaving, he also told reporters that he was open to meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
This is Mr. Trump's first trip to Asia since his second term. Mr. Trump will visit Malaysia to attend the 47th ASEAN Summit and related conferences.
According to the White House, speaking on October 25 when welcoming Qatari Prince Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on an Air Force One plane during the fuel stop in the Gulf region, Mr. Trump affirmed that Doha's cooperation " plays a key role in Middle East peace efforts".
After the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, Mr. Trump's next destination will be Tokyo. There, he will meet Ms. Sanae Takaichi, Japan's first newly appointed female prime minister. The next stop is South Korea, where Mr. Trump will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit from October 31 to November 1 and is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The focus of the trip to Asia is the meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping - where the two leaders hope to reach an agreement to end the trade war between the two largest economies in the world. The two countries' officials had previously held meetings in Kuala Lumpur to prepare for the meeting.
Speaking to the press, Mr. Trump said he expected a very good meeting with Mr. Xi Jinping, and believed that China would find a way to reach an agreement to avoid the 100% tariff expected to take effect from November 1.
However, the most notable thing is Mr. Trump's statement that he is "ready" to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un again during this trip, marking the possibility of a repeat of diplomatic contacts that attracted globally in 2018 - 2019. I have a very good relationship with him. If you want, just make it public that I am ready to meet, Trump said.
South Korea's Unity Minister said on October 24 that there was "significant chance" of a meeting between Trump and President Kim Jong Un, although US officials said there was no official plan yet.
