President Donald Trump headed to Asia for the first time this term, a trip in which he is expected to work on investment deals and peace efforts before meeting face-to-face with the Chinese president.Xi Jinpingto try to reduce the tensiontrade was.
“We have a lot to talk to President Xi about, and he has a lot to talk to us about,” Trump told reporters Friday night as he left the White House. “I think we’ll have a good meeting.”
The president will have a long-haul flight to Malaysia on Sunday morning, the first leg of a three-nation visit.
Trump met with the emir and prime minister of Qatar on Saturday aboard Air Force One during a refueling stop in that country. Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said that as soon as he learned that the president was coming to Qatar, he wanted to have a conversation.
Trump thanked the Emir and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani for bringing “peace to the Middle East,” after they served as intermediaries during the Peace agreement between Israel and Hamascalling them a “great ally.”
Your trip arrives as soon as possible. US Government Shutdown is prolonged. Many federal workers will lose their first full paycheck this week, there are flight disruptions as already-strained air traffic controllers work without pay, and states face the possibility of federal food aid running out. As Republicans reject Democratic demands to extend health care tax credits, there is no sign of a way out of the impasse. But Trump himself appears to be maintaining the usual approach, even as he embarks on this latest trip abroad.
“America is shut down and the president is leaving town,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
Trump’s first stop is a regional summit in Kuala Lumpur. Trump attended the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit only once during his first term, but this year it comes as Malaysia and the United States have been working to address a skirmish between Thailand and Cambodia.
He is scheduled to meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday, followed by a joint signing ceremony with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia.
Trump threatened earlier this year to suspend trade deals with the countries if they did not stop fighting, and his administration has since been working with Malaysia to hammer out an expanded ceasefire.
From there, Trump heads to Japan and South Korea, where he is expected to advance talks for at least $900 billion in investments for American factories and other projects those countries committed to in exchange for easing Trump’s plans. tariff rates from 25% to 15%.
The trip to Tokyo comes a week after Japan elected its first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. Trump will meet with Takaichi, a protégé of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Trump was close to Abe, who was assassinated after leaving office.
Trump said Takaichi’s relationship with Abe was “a good sign” and “I look forward to meeting her.”
While there, Trump is expected to be greeted by Japanese Emperor Naruhito and meet with American troops that are stationed in Japan, according to a senior U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity about the planned trip.
In South Korea, Trump is expected to hold a long awaited meeting with China’s Xi on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
While the APEC summit will be held in Gyeongju, the Trump-Xi meeting is expected to take place in the city of Busan, according to the US official.
The meeting comes after months of volatile movements in a trade wasbetween China and the United States that have shaken the global economy.