Trump kicks off Asia tour with key meeting with Xi Jinping on agenda
The visit coincides with the close of two days of talks between US and Chinese trade negotiators in Kuala Lumpur. The meetings seek to unblock the tariff war pitting the world's two largest economies against each other.
President Donald Trump during his tour of Asia.
President Donald Trump began a diplomatic tour of Asia on Sunday with an agenda marked by key trade negotiations with China and mediation efforts in regional conflicts. His first stop is Malaysia, where he is participating in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.
The visit coincides with the close of two days of talks between US and Chinese trade negotiators in Kuala Lumpur. The meetings seek to unblock the tariff war pitting the world's two largest economies against each other. The discussions are a preamble to the planned meeting between Trump and Chinese President, Xi Jinping, to be held Thursday in South Korea.
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U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng as "constructive" and aimed at establishing favorable conditions for the meeting between the two leaders. An agreement between Washington and Beijing could prevent the entry into force of new 100% US tariffs, scheduled for November 1.
Cambodia-Thailand cease-fire agreement
The memorandum was signed by Prime Ministers Anutin Charnvirakul of Thailand and Hun Manet of Cambodia, along with the U.S. leader and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, following a recent bloody border clash.
The agreement also provides for the release of 18 Cambodian prisoners of war, according to a Cambodian government statement.
Bilateral agenda and trade tensions with Brazil, reaching as far as Asia
During his stay in Kuala Lumpur, Trump could hold a bilateral meeting with leftist Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, although the meeting is not confirmed in the official agenda. The relationship between the two countries is going through tensions due to punitive 50% tariffs imposed by Washington after the trial for alleged coup against Jair Bolsonaro, Trump's political ally.
Lula has indicated that he is keen to persuade Trump that those measures were "a mistake."
"While others bet on rivalry and competition, we choose alliance and cooperation," Lula declared at the ASEAN summit, in an apparent reference to the US tariffs.
Japan and South Korea, next stops
On Monday, Trump will travel to Tokyo to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who has expressed his intention to strengthen the Japan-US security alliance.
The president will then travel to Seoul, where he will participate in the APEC summit and hold a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
The meeting with Xi Jinping on Thursday will be the most anticipated moment of the tour, the first meeting between the two since Trump returned to power in January.
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Kim has said he would be willing to talk as long as Washington stops demanding the dismantling of North Korea's nuclear arsenal as a precondition.
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