US president to potentially meet Chinese counterpart in South Korea during October APEC Summit visit
\n WASHINGTON
\nUS President Donald Trump is set to embark on a major trip to Asia this week with all eyes on an expected meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping that has huge implications for the global economy.
\nTrump said on Wednesday he was making a \u201cbig trip\u201d to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, his first visit to the region since he returned to the White House in a blaze of tariffs and geopolitical brinkmanship.
\nMuch of the trip remains shrouded in uncertainty. The White House has given almost no details, and Trump has warned that his anticipated sit-down with Xi in South Korea may not even happen amid ongoing tensions.
\nBut Trump has made it clear he hopes to seal a \u201cgood\u201d deal with China and end a bitter trade war between the world\u2019s two largest economies that has caused global shockwaves.
\nThe host nations are meanwhile set to roll out the red carpet to ensure they stay on the right side of the unpredictable 79-year-old, and win the best deals they can on tariffs and security assistance.
\nMalaysia and Japan
\nHis first stop is expected to be Malaysia for the October 26-28 summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) \u2014 a grouping Trump skipped several times in his first term.
\nTrump is set to ink a trade deal with Malaysia \u2014 but more importantly to oversee the signing of a peace accord between Thailand and Cambodia, as he continues his quest for a Nobel Peace Prize.
\n\u201cPresident Trump is keen to see the more positive results of the peace negotiations between Thailand and Cambodia,\u201d Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Wednesday.
\nThe US leader may also meet Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the summit to improve ties after months of bad blood, officials from both countries told AFP.
\nTrump\u2019s next stop is expected to be Tokyo where he will be able to meet conservative Sanae Takaichi, named this week as Japan\u2019s first woman prime minister.
\nJapan has escaped the worst of the tariffs Trump slapped on countries around the world to end what he calls unfair trade balances that are \u201cripping off the United States.\u201d
\nAt the same time, Trump wants Japan to halt Russian energy imports and has also urged Tokyo to follow Western allies in increasing defence spending.
\nXi in South Korea?
\nBut the climax of the trip is expected to be in South Korea, where Trump is due to arrive on October 29 for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit \u2014 and potentially meet Xi.
\nThe first meeting between the two leaders since Trump\u2019s return to office could smooth over the trade war between Washington and Beijing \u2014 but Beijing\u2019s rare earth curbs have also infuriated Trump.
\nTrump initially threatened to cancel the meeting and imposed fresh tariffs, before saying he would go ahead after all. But he added on Tuesday that still \u201cmaybe it won\u2019t happen.\u201d
\nHe said on Wednesday that he hoped to make a deal with Xi on \u201ceverything\u201d and also hoped the Chinese leader could have a \u201cbig influence\u201d on getting Russia\u2019s Vladimir Putin to end the Ukraine war.
\nAnalysts warned not to expect any breakthroughs.
\n\u201cThe meeting will be a data point along an existing continuum rather than an inflection point in the relationship,\u201d said Ryan Hass, a senior fellow at Brookings Institution.
\nSouth Korea, seeking its own trade deal, is reportedly considering the rare step of awarding Trump the Grand Order of Mugunghwa \u2014 the country\u2019s highest decoration \u2014 during his visit.
\nNorth Korea will also be on the agenda. The country fired multiple ballistic missiles on Wednesday, just days before Trump was due to visit.
\nTrump has said he hopes to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un following several meetings during the US president\u2019s first term, but there has been no confirmation of reports that the White House was looking at a new meeting this time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
US president to potentially meet Chinese counterpart in South Korea during October APEC Summit visit WASHINGTON US President Donald Trump is set to embark on a major trip to Asia this week with all eyes on an expected meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping that has huge implications for the global economy. Trump said on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":510516,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-510495","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n