WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump He plans to leave for Asia this weekend, betting that his trip around the world will help him solve a big, impossible-to-get-wrong problem.
At stake is nothing less than the future of the global economy, and it may depend on the president’s ability to defuse trade tensions. expected meeting With Chinese leader Xi Jinping. One wrong move could send shockwaves through American industry. Things that are already shaky This is due to President Trump’s aggressive tariffs, government layoffs, and political brinkmanship.
Since returning to office in January, Trump’s improvisational strategy has been hit and miss. Hamas returned the hostages to Israel, but ceasefire in the middle east It remains vulnerable. trade war with china waxed and waned This year; and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not slowing down Despite President Trump’s efforts to resolve disputes.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding President Trump’s trip, with no official announcement from the White House regarding much of the itinerary. The president said on Monday he would go to Malaysia, where he will host a regional summit, and then to Japan, where he will try to attract foreign investment.
He is also scheduled to visit South Korea, where he will address further trade issues and meet with President Xi. Beijing has not yet confirmed plans for a meeting, and the two leaders have recently exchanged threats of tariffs and export restrictions.
“I have a very good relationship with President Xi of China,” President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday. He suggested lowering tariffs, but said: “They have to give us something too.” US soybeansreduce the flow of Fentanyl ingredient and the end of the restriction rare earth minerals It is important for high-tech manufacturing.
President Trump expressed further confidence Monday, saying, “I think we’ll end up with a great deal with China,” and “it’s going to be great for the whole world.”
This will be Trump’s first trip to Asia in his second term.
With only days left until President Trump leaves office, there is an unusual level of ambiguity, even for a president who likes to keep people guessing about his next move.
“The whole trip was very uncertain from the beginning,” said Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the German Marshall Fund, a Washington-based think tank.
This is Trump’s first trip to Asia since returning to office. Although it has welcomed regional leaders to the White House, it does not have the same foundational relationships as it does on other continents.
President Trump’s approach to Asia has focused on using tariffs to realign what he calls unfair trade practices, upsetting countries that depend on the United States as the world’s largest export market. There is also concern that the meeting between President Trump and President Xi Jinping and the feud between the two leaders could plunge the international economy into turmoil.
“The fact that he’s there will be appreciated to some extent, but I don’t think it will be enough to dispel the suspicion that is pervasive in this area,” Glaser predicted.
Since his first term, the Republican president has shrunk his foreign policy team, eschewing the typical advisory corps of the National Security Council in favor of a core group of supporters.
“There aren’t that many White House staffers who can do this type of work,” said Rush Doshi, who worked on China policy under President Joe Biden. “All of this takes us into uncharted territory.”
Michael Green, who served on President George W. Bush’s National Security Council and now heads the Center for American Studies in Sydney, Australia, said Trump has not provided a clear Asia strategy.
“Everyone is waiting to see what conclusion he will draw on all of this,” he said.
Some say President Trump’s approach is working. Anthony Kim, a fellow at the Heritage Foundation in international economic affairs, said Japan and South Korea are keen to work with the administration to strengthen their partnership.
Kim said their message was “let’s sit down and discuss the relevant details towards an agreement.”
President Trump’s plans remain in flux as visit approaches
Malaysia hosts the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but President Trump attended only once during his first term and was also absent. When held virtually During the COVID-19 pandemic.
But this year’s summit is an opportunity to highlight the peace efforts that Mr. Trump has put at the center of his foreign policy agenda.
Thailand and Cambodia Skirmishes broke out along the disputed border. Over the summer, President Trump threatened to suspend trade deals with countries unless they stopped fighting.
“They were willing to come together and talk to avoid further economic pain,” said Jia Ian Chong, a political science professor at the National University of Singapore.
Malaysia and the United States are secure an expanded ceasefire. Malaysia’s foreign minister said President Trump was “looking forward” to signing the agreement at the summit.
President Trump’s next destination is Japan. Washington and Japan reached a trade deal earlier this year that includes a commitment to invest $550 billion in U.S. projects.
Japan is in a period of political transition. Sanae Takaichi She is expected to become the first female prime minister next week.
Takaichi is a disciple of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated after leaving office. Mr. Trump had a close relationship with Mr. Abe during his first term, and Mr. Greene said Mr. Takaichi “could play that role as well.”
Working with Trump and remaining committed to the U.S. alliance “requires a level of interaction and trust that we don’t see in Asian leaders,” Green said.
The final destination of President Trump’s tour is South Korea.
The climax of the president’s trip is likely to be in South Korea, which will host this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference. President Trump said he intended to meet with Xi during his visit.
Tensions have escalated in recent weeks, particularly after China announced restrictions on exports of rare earth minerals. President Trump threatened to retaliate with tariffs so high that he acknowledged they were unsustainable.
Doshi, a former Biden adviser, said there were three potential outcomes for a meeting between Trump and Xi: “deal, no deal, or disaster.” He said China was encouraged by President Trump’s reversal of earlier tariff announcements when the Chinese government restricted exports of rare earth magnets.
“The Chinese feel they have President Trump’s phone number,” Doshi said. “They feel like if they push this, he’s going to fold.”
President Trump said Monday that China has “treated us with tremendous respect” since he took office. “There are many other things you can threaten them with,” he said, but “I want to have goodwill toward China.”
Another outstanding issue will be President Trump’s trade negotiations with South Korea, which faces U.S. tariffs that could hurt its auto industry. However, the South Korean government has balked at President Trump’s request for a $350 billion investment fund similar to Japan’s.
“There’s some momentum in the negotiations,” said Wendy Cutler, who has been a U.S. trade negotiator for more than 20 years and is now senior vice president of the Asia Society. “But we don’t want to overstate it because there are some fundamental differences that need to be sorted out about this fund.”
She said it’s not uncommon for negotiations to reach a conclusion, but this time there are “so many balls in the air.”
___ Associated Press writer Josh Boak contributed to this report.
