The president of the United States, donald trumpwill begin a tour of Asia on Sunday in an attempt to ease trade tensions with countries in the region and seek a recomposition in relations with China.
The visit will begin in Malaysiawhere he will participate in the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)and will continue in Japan, where he plans to meet with the new prime minister Sanae Takaichi. The president will also participate in the forum Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).
The most relevant part of the trip will be the meeting, at the end of the month, with the Chinese president Xi Jinping during the summit of APEC in South Korea. According to the White House, the face to face between both leaders is scheduled for Thursday of next week, although there is still no confirmation from China or details about the agenda.
Trump hopes to reach trade concessions, and the resumption of purchases of American products such as soybeans, in addition to pushing for the lifting of restrictions to the export of minerals rare earth and greater control of the flow of inputs used in the manufacture of fentanyl, a central issue for the US
Despite Trump’s stated optimism about a possible “fantastic deal”, the meeting will coincide with the entry into force, on November 1, of the new 100% tariffs on Chinese exportswhich increases the pressure for dialogue.
Among the points that generate the greatest expectations is the future of Taiwan. Analysts believe that China will pressure Trump to get Washington to declare its rejection of the island’s independence, something that Beijing considers key to its strategic interests.
At the summit of the ASEAN in Kuala Lumpurthe North American president will seek agreements with the bloc, which together exported goods worth $312 billion to the United States last year.
The tenant of the White House imposed reciprocal tariffs of between 10% and 40%, unleashing criticism in the region for the risk that these decisions pose for global supply chains. Discussions expected to focus on Vietnam and Thailandcountries that represent the largest contributions to the US trade deficit in the region.
In Malaysia, the Republican leader will aim to position himself as a mediator in the unresolved border conflict between Thailand and Cambodiaafter a fragile ceasefire reached in July.
Malaysia managed to negotiate a provisional ceasefire after five days of violence months ago that left dozens dead and around 300,000 displaced.. The Malaysian Foreign Minister, Mohammad Hasanrecently stated that Trump is “eager” to reach a peace agreement during the summitan achievement that the American president will surely seek to capitalize on to further consolidate his profile as an international mediator.
Regarding North Korea, although For now there is no agenda for a fourth direct meeting between Trump and Kim Jong-unUS officials do not rule out a rapprochement.
Previous attempts at nuclear dialogue between the two leaders ended without results, and The situation is made more complex by the recent tests of hypersonic missiles carried out by Pyongyang and the sending of North Korean soldiers to Russia due to the war in Ukraine..
The ICE immigration operation on September 6 at a South Korean plant in Georgia, where 300 workers were detained, generated unrest in South Korea. However, the South Korean president Lee Jae Myung will meet with Trump in Gyeongju and seek to advance the implementation of a $350 billion investment agreement and the reduction of the tariff on Korean cars from 25% to 15%, equalizing the already existing conditions for vehicles from Japan and the EU.
