President Donald Trump has started his weeklong trip to Asia, where he will work to secure a major trade deal with China and possibly meet with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.
The three-country Asia tour began over the weekend, with the United States securing trade agreements with Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia. Trump’s first stop was in Malaysia, where he attended the annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and a signing ceremony for the Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire agreement that he helped mediate. The two countries briefly fought in July.
Trump signs ceasefire agreement with Thailand and Cambodia
Trump joined the stage on Sunday when leaders from Thailand and Cambodia signed the ceasefire agreement that the U.S. president helped to broker earlier this year. The five-day border conflict resulted in dozens dead.
“On behalf of the United States, I’m proud to help settle this conflict and forge a future for the region,” Trump said during the ceremony.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul both praised the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords, named after the city where the peace negotiations took place in July. The leaders thanked Trump for his role in securing the deal and then went on to sign their own trade deals with the U.S.
The U.S will keep its 19% tariff on the Southeast Asian countries, while Cambodia will drop all tariffs against American goods. Thailand will drop tariffs on the vast majority of U.S. goods.
Trump floats extending Asia trip to meet with Kim Jong Un
While on Air Force One Sunday night, Trump said he would be open to extending his trip if it meant he could meet with Kim.
“I’d love to meet with him, if he’d like to meet,” he said. “I got along great with Kim Jong Un. I liked him, he liked me. If he wants to meet I’ll be in South Korea.” The two have met three times in person.
After a reporter asked if he’d stay in South Korea longer than planned to make the meeting happen, Trump said, “I hadn’t thought of it, but I think the answer would be yeah, I would. Sure.”
Trump signs trade deal with Malaysia
During his stop in Malaysia, he secured a reciprocal trade agreement with the Southeast Asian country, keeping U.S. tariffs at 19% but obtaining commitments from Malaysia to address trade barriers related to intellectual property, digital trade, and U.S.-manufactured vehicles.
Malaysia also agreed to buy at least 30 aircraft, $150 billion worth of semiconductors and data center equipment, up to $3.4 billion worth of liquefied natural gas per year, and other investments worth up to $70 billion, according to a joint statement.
The White House said the U.S. was running the 14th-largest trade deficit with Malaysia, totaling almost $25 billion in 2024.
Trump visits emperor of Japan, tees up meeting with new prime minister
Trump traveled to Japan on Monday to finalize a trade deal. Upon arriving, he shook hands with Emperor Naruhito. He is expected to meet with Japan’s newly elected prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, later on. Committing to a trade deal with the U.S. would be a monumental moment for the start of her term.
Takaichi, a staunch conservative and the first female prime minister of Japan, has drawn comparisons to the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was a close friend of Trump during his first term.
Reminiscing about his friendship with Abe, the president wished Takaichi well in her new job.
“I hear phenomenal things,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One. “She was a great ally and friend of Shinzo Abe, who was my friend.”
“I know they were very close, and I think philosophically they were close, which is good,” he said. “That really helps Japan and the United States. I think she’s going to be great.”
Tensions ease ahead of meeting with China’s Xi
Trump heads to South Korea on Wednesday, the last planned stop of his three-nation tour. While there, he will discuss the possibility of finalizing a trade deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Their meeting, which comes one day before the start of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit, was previously expected to be scrapped after Trump threatened an additional 100% tariff by Nov. 1 in response to China’s export controls on rare earth minerals. Trump suggested he would skip the meeting, but once trade tensions eased, the meeting remained on schedule.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed on Sunday that the U.S. and China are expected to agree on a trade deal “framework” that will avoid the 100% tariff.
TRUMP INKS TRADE DEALS ON ASIA TRIP, WITH US-CHINA AGREEMENT CLOSE AHEAD OF XI MEETING
Trump said he is optimistic the U.S. will “come away with a deal” following his meeting with Xi.
He also hopes to visit Beijing in the near future and suggested Xi could visit Washington, D.C., or his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida.
Trump brings Qatar official along on first leg of Asia trip
At the beginning of his diplomatic tour, Trump made a pit stop in the Middle East and brought the emir of Qatar and the country’s prime minister onto Air Force One. Trump said it was a “great honor” to host the Qatari leaders.
The appearance followed the signing of the peace deal between Israel and Hamas this month. Because Qatar played a mediating role in ending the conflict, Trump thanked the nation’s leaders.
