Trump Begins Asia Tour for Xi Meeting, Trade Deals

President Trump begins a weeklong Asia tour Oct. 25–29 to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, attending the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur and the APEC summit in Gyeongju. The trip aims to reset U.S. influence amid a rising U.S.–China rivalry and to secure trade deals, critical-minerals agreements (including rare earths) and ceasefire diplomacy. Its centerpiece is a highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the APEC sidelines intended to clinch agreements, though Beijing’s attendance has not been fully confirmed and U.S. officials have opened an investigation into China’s adherence to the 2020 "phase one" trade deal. Trump is leveraging tariffs and threats of steep duties while expressing optimism about deals on rare earths and soybeans and says he will press China to exert influence over Russia on the Ukraine war and on North Korea. He will hold bilateral talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Japan’s prime minister Sanae Takaichi, and the trip marks his first ASEAN engagement since 2017 as regional governments cautiously balance ties with Washington and Beijing.