U.S. President Donald Trump will test his deal-making skills on a high-stakes trip to Asia, a region still reeling from his tough trade policies, as questions persist over whether his anticipated meeting with China’s Xi Jinping will take place.
Trump departed Washington on Friday night for a five-day tour of Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea – his first visit to the region and the longest overseas trip of his presidency.
The president is seeking to secure trade, critical mineral, and ceasefire agreements before facing the most sensitive challenge of his journey: a potential face-to-face with Xi on Thursday in South Korea.
Trump is also working to preserve what he calls the key foreign policy success of his second term, a fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza conflict, even as Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds on and tensions with Beijing show few signs of easing.
Washington and Beijing have exchanged escalating tariffs on each other’s exports and threatened to cut off trade in vital minerals and high-tech goods.
The White House confirmed Trump’s trip on Thursday but said the details were still being finalized, including arrangements for a possible Trump-Xi meeting.
Officials familiar with the planning said neither side expects a breakthrough that would restore trade conditions to pre-2025 levels. Instead, the talks are aimed at managing disputes and securing small steps forward.
An interim arrangement could feature partial tariff relief, a temporary extension of current rates, or new Chinese pledges to buy U.S. soybeans and Boeing airplanes, commitments similar to those Beijing walked back after a 2020 deal with Trump.
In exchange, Washington might ease some restrictions on advanced computer chip exports, while Beijing could relax controls on rare earth magnets, a move that has long irritated Trump.
But the discussions could just as easily end without any agreement.
On Wednesday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the planned Trump-Xi encounter as a “pull-aside,” suggesting it may not be formal. Trump later told reporters the two would have “a pretty long meeting,” adding that it would allow them to “work out a lot of our questions and our doubts and our tremendous assets together.”
China has yet to confirm whether the meeting will occur.
Focus on Trade, Defense, and Regional Peace
Mira Rapp-Hooper, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and former Biden administration official, said Trump’s Asia policy has revolved around hardline pressure on countries’ trade practices and defense spending.
“The high-level question on this trip is really, who does the United States stand with, and what does it stand for,” she said.
Trump is expected to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, which begins Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
There, he could oversee the signing of a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, formalizing an agreement that ended their heaviest border clashes in years. The deal stops short of a comprehensive peace accord but marks a step toward regional stability.
During his second term, Trump has sought to cast himself as a global peacemaker.
After Malaysia, Trump will travel to Japan for talks with new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is expected to reaffirm her predecessor’s commitment to boost defense spending and move ahead with $550 billion in U.S.-linked investments.
He will then head to Busan, South Korea, where he plans to meet Xi ahead of an international trade summit. The White House said Trump will return to Washington before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ forum begins.
Trump has warned that tariffs on Chinese imports could rise to about 155% starting November 1 if no agreement is reached — a move likely to trigger retaliation from Beijing and end the uneasy truce on tariff increases.
Beyond trade, the two leaders are expected to discuss Taiwan and Russia, long-standing friction points between Washington and Beijing, as the U.S. expands sanctions over the war in Ukraine.
“There’s no intent from the U.S. side to discuss other issues,” aside from trade, export controls, and China’s purchases of Russian oil, said a U.S. official, adding that Trump would restate prior positions if Xi raised unrelated topics.
Before departing the White House, Trump told reporters he expected Taiwan to be part of the discussions with Xi.
He also said he would likely bring up the case of Jimmy Lai, founder of Hong Kong’s now-defunct Apple Daily, who is imprisoned under Beijing’s national security laws.
“It’s on my list. I’m going to ask … We’ll see what happens,” Trump said.
Trade Negotiations and Regional Diplomacy
It remains unclear whether Trump will revive talks with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is also traveling in Asia, after abruptly ending earlier negotiations. Another U.S. official said the two “will likely see each other” at a dinner with other leaders on Wednesday.
Trump told reporters he had no plans for a meeting, saying he was “satisfied with the deal we have.”
He is also pursuing new trade agreements with Malaysia and India while reinforcing an existing accord with South Korea.
Relations between Washington and Seoul have been strained by Trump’s demand for $350 billion in new U.S. investments and the deportation of South Korean migrant workers.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has urged Trump to reopen talks with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. U.S. officials considered, but did not confirm, a possible visit to the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. Another official said a Kim-Trump meeting is not on the schedule.
Speaking to reporters, Trump acknowledged the difficulty of engaging North Korea’s isolated regime. “If you want to put out the word, I’m open to it. You know, they don’t have a lot of telephone service,” he said.
