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US President Donald Trump left Washington on Friday for a three-nation tour of Asia. His itinerary includes attending the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia, visiting Japan and meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Trump has also expressed interest in meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his visit to South Korea. The South Korea leg is expected to be the highlight of the trip. Trump will land in Busan on Wednesday ahead of the APEC summit. He is scheduled to meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, address an APEC lunch with business leaders, and host US tech executives for dinner. On Thursday, he will meet Xi for the first time since returning to the White House, in a bid to resolve the trade war that has roiled global markets this year, especially following disputes over rare earth minerals. Trump initially threatened to cancel the meeting and impose new tariffs over the minerals dispute but later confirmed it would go ahead. “The president is most interested in discussing the trade and economic relationship,” a senior US official said. Trump himself noted that fentanyl trafficking would also top the agenda, as his administration continues to pressure Beijing to curb the flow of illegal drugs. The ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur will be Trump’s first visit to the gathering since his first term. He will meet Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday, followed by a signing ceremony with the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia. Trump has credited Ibrahim with helping resolve tensions between Thailand and Cambodia and earlier threatened to withhold trade deals if the conflict continued. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva may also meet Trump on the sidelines to mend ties after months of tension. Trump’s next stop will be Tokyo, where he will meet Japan’s newly appointed prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, on Tuesday. Japan has largely escaped the brunt of Trump’s global tariffs, which he argues are necessary to correct trade imbalances. The tour comes amid a US government shutdown, with many federal workers missing paychecks, flight disruptions, and looming cuts to food aid. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer criticized the timing, saying, “America is shut down and the President is skipping town.” Despite the domestic crisis, Trump appears to be pushing ahead with his foreign engagements and trade priorities.
