WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump I headed to Asia for the first time this season on Friday night. This trip will include investment transactions, Commitment to peace before meeting directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping to try to calm the trade war.
As he left the White House, President Trump told reporters, “I have a lot of things I want to talk about with President Xi, and President Xi has a lot of things he wants to talk with us about.” “I think we’ll have a good meeting.”
The president is scheduled to take a long-haul flight and arrive in Malaysia, the first stop on his three-country tour, on Sunday morning.
His trip will take place as the U.S. Government shutdown continues. Many federal workers are expected to not receive their full paychecks for the first time this week, disrupting flight operations as already-strapped air traffic controllers work without pay, and states face the possibility of federal food aid drying up. There is no sign that the impasse will be broken as Republicans reject Democrats’ demands for health care funding, but President Trump appears to be continuing with business as usual, including traveling abroad.
“America is shut down and the president is skipping town,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement Friday night.
Trump’s first stop is a regional summit in Kuala Lumpur. President Trump has only attended the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit once during his first term, but this year’s appearance comes as Malaysia and the United States grapple with addressing the issue. Skirmishes between Thailand and Cambodia.
He plans to meet with ~ on Sunday Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar IbrahimThis was followed by a joint signing ceremony with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia.
President Trump earlier this year threatened to put the trade deal on hold unless the two sides stopped fighting, and his administration has since worked with Malaysia to extend the ceasefire.
sunday us leaders There may be important meetings and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvawants the United States to reduce its 40% tariff on imports from Brazil. The U.S. government justified the tariffs by citing criminal prosecutions by Brazil. Former President Jair Bolsonaro —Trump ally.
Lula criticized the United States on Friday beyond trade. military attack campaign They operate off the coast of South America under the guise of fighting drug trafficking. He said he planned to raise his concerns with President Trump at a meeting in Malaysia on Sunday. The White House has not yet officially confirmed that the talks will take place.
Following Malaysia, Trump also stopped in Japan and South Korea.
From there, President Trump will head to Japan and South Korea, where he is expected to make progress. Negotiate investments of at least $900 billion It’s on U.S. factories and other projects that those countries have promised in return for lowering President Trump’s planned tariffs from 25% to 15%.
The visit to Tokyo came a week after Japan elected its first female prime minister. Sanae Takaichi. President Trump is scheduled to meet with Takaichi, a disciple of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Trump was close to Abe, who was assassinated after leaving office.
During his visit, Trump will be entertained by Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and meet with U.S. troops stationed in Japan, according to a senior U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss the planned trip.
In South Korea, President Trump is expected to hold a long-awaited meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.
The APEC summit is scheduled to be held in Gyeongju, but the meeting between President Trump and President Xi is expected to take place in Busan, U.S. officials said.
The meeting is as follows Months of instability Amid the trade war between China and the United States that is shaking the world economy.
President Trump was furious earlier this month when the Chinese government imposed new export restrictions on rare earth metals used in technology and threatened to raise retaliatory tariffs to extremely high levels. He says he wants China to buy U.S. soybeans. But earlier this week, Trump sounded optimistic, predicting he would reach a “great deal” with Xi.
The only meeting that could upend the Xi summit would be an impromptu reunion with Mr. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Speculation has been rife since South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young. He told lawmakers this month it was possible. Trump may meet with Kim again this year demilitarized zonejust like he did in 2019.
But U.S. officials say no such talks are scheduled during the president’s current trip.
