Trump is on his way to Asia: He will witness the signing of a peace agreement and will have a meeting with major stakes for the world economy
US President Donald Trump as he boards Air Force One at RAF Lossiemouth Air Base in northeast Scotland on July 29, 2025, at the end of his visit to Scotland. PHOTO: Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP / Profimedia
Donald Trump left on Friday evening for an important tour in Asia, where he will also have a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, with major stakes for the world economy, reports France Presse.
The US president also appeared open to a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the visit, his first to the region since his return to power in January.
“I would love to, he knows we're going there,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked if such a meeting was possible. The last meeting took place in 2019.
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The Asia tour includes stops in Malaysia, Japan and South Korea. All host countries should roll out the red carpet to Donald Trump to try to curry favor with him and get the best possible deals on customs duties and security guarantees.
He will witness the signing of a peace agreement
A senior US official said on Friday that Trump “will keep his promises to the American people in one of the world's most economically dynamic regions by signing a number of economic deals”, particularly on rare earths.
On Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, Donald Trump will attend the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which he ignored several times during his first term.
He should conclude a trade agreement with Malaysia and, above all, assist in the signing of a peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia.
After a conflict of several days, the two neighboring countries concluded a truce on July 29, following an intervention by Donald Trump.
A meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the occasion of the ASEAN summit is also planned.
The two leaders have begun to iron out their differences after months of tensions primarily related to the trial and conviction of former far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, an ally of the incumbent White House.
Donald Trump will then travel to Japan on Monday, where he will meet the next day with nationalist Sanae Takaichi, who this week became the first woman to lead the Japanese government.
She said she wanted “frank discussions” with the American president. Tokyo signed a trade deal with Washington this summer, but some details remain to be discussed.
The meeting with Xi, the most important step of Trump's tour
But the highlight of the tour will take place in South Korea, where Donald Trump is expected from Wednesday for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, on the sidelines of which he will have a meeting with Xi Jinping in Gyeongju, scheduled for Thursday.
The Republican leader temporarily left doubt about this meeting, in the context in which the two largest economies of the planet face each other in a tough trade competition.
China and the United States began new trade talks in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, according to Chinese state media.
Donald Trump has said he hopes to strike a deal with the Chinese president on “all issues,” even though he specifically intends to “discuss economic and trade relations,” according to the senior U.S. official quoted earlier.
This meeting is all the more important as China has announced a reduction in its exports of rare metals, with Donald Trump threatening to impose additional tariffs of 100% on Chinese products in response.
The US president will also meet with his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung, give a speech to businessmen and attend an APEC leaders' dinner, according to the White House.
