Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: US President Donald Trump arrivred in Kuala Lumpur on October 25 on the first leg of his Asia tour that will take him to Malaysia, South Korea, and Japan while a trade war rages. Trade and investment deals across the region are expected, but the most-watched event of the tour will be his meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping in South Korea after the two countries have raised their confrontation level, facing off over tariffs, rare earths, technology, and drugs. Trump was confident about a deal, saying on Thursday, “I think we are going to come out very well and everyone’s going to be very happy.”
Their meeting on October 30 will take place on the sidelines of the 21-member forum, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in Gyeongju, a historic city of South Korea. Trump’s first visit to the region will start off at the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur on October 26. In addition to the leaders of its 10 members and Trump, Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, and Prime Ministers Li Qiang of China, Sanae Takaichi of Japan, Anthony Albanese of Australia and Mike Carney of Canada are on the guest list of dialogue partners given the region’s economic heft.
Trump’s team will include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Several ASEAN members are reeling from the tariffs set by Trump in August, especially Laos and Myanmar whose tariff is 40 per cent. Thailand and Cambodia, which had a brief skirmish this year that was settled with Trump’s involvement, are likely to sign a peace agreement in his presence, boosting the image he projects of a peacemaker.
