The US President, Donald Trump, has kicked off a five-day Asia tour, in his first trip to the region since taking office in January, where he will hold a series of high-level meetings and trade discussions.
Trump expressed his openness to a meeting with North Korea‘s leader, Kim Jong Un, fueling speculation about a potential summit between the two leaders.
Trump Asian Tour
The US President left on Friday night for an Asia trip that is expected to see trade deals and efforts to advance peace. The trip includes stops in Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, Japan, and South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
In Malaysia, Trump will attend a meeting with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, followed by a joint signing ceremony with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia, with which the US and Malaysia have been working to reach an expanded ceasefire.
Trump could also have a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who wants the US to reduce its 40% tariffs on Brazilian goods and halt military strikes off the South American coast, reported the Associated Press (AP).
Moreover, the US President will discuss investments in Japan and South Korea, both of which committed at least $900 billion in investments for US factories and projects in return for easing tariffs.
He will also meet with Japan’s first female Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, and US troops stationed in the country.
Trump-Xi Meeting
On the sidelines of the APEC summit in South Korea, Trump will meet with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in a bid to de-escalate trade tensions and reach a deal with China.
“We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us. I think we’ll have a good meeting,” Trump told reporters before leaving Washington. He expected China to reach a deal with the US to avoid 100% tariffs coming into force on November 1.
Earlier this month, Trump said he would impose a new 100% tariff on Chinese imports to the US, on top of the 30% tariffs already in effect, and export controls on all critical software, starting on November 1, 2025, in response to Beijing’s expanded controls over rare earths.
In response, China threatened it would take corresponding measures if the US did not backtrack on its decision.
Possible Kim Summit
Amid growing speculation over a potential meeting with North Korea’s leader, Trump said he was open to it. “I would. If you want to put out the word, I’m open to it. I had a great relationship with him,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.
However, this meeting was not on the US President’s schedule, according to US officials, and Trump suggested he could not reach Kim. “They have a lot of nuclear weapons, but not a lot of telephone service,” he noted.
Unmissable Chance
South Korea’s Reunification Minister, Chung Dong-young, on Friday urged Trump to meet the North Korean leader, calling it an “opportunity from the heavens,” Reuters reported citing Yonhap News Agency.
“The leaders of North Korea and the US must not miss this chance. They need to make a bold decision,” Chung said. “It would help North Korea’s international standing and improve its people’s lives … and for that, peace and stability need to be guaranteed and that’s only possible by meeting President Trump,” the minister added.
Trump-Kim Ties
During Trump’s first term, he met with Kim three times in high-level summits to discuss North Korea‘s nuclear program. However, negotiations broke down at the Hanoi summit in 2019 over Pyongyang’s unwillingness to concede on its atomic weapons program.
Since returning to office, Trump has repeatedly expressed eagerness to restore diplomacy with North Korea, describing Kim as a “smart guy.”
In response, Kim said last month that he held “good personal memories” of Trump. However, the North Korean leader noted that he would be open to meeting the US president if Washington drops its “delusional obsession with denuclearization” of Pyongyang.
North Korea’s Nuclear Arsenal
North Korea has consistently rejected US and international calls for giving up its nuclear arsenal. As a result, Pyongyang has been subject to successive rounds of UN sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs.
Since talks with US crumbled, North Korea has insisted that it will never abandon its nuclear weapons and declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear state.
Moreover, Pyongyang has accelerated the expansion of its nuclear arsenal, with missiles designed to reach the US and its allies. The North Korean leader has been strengthening military ties with Russia, sending troops and artillery to support Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine.
Kim has also been tightening relations with China, attending a military parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, alongside Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, and Russian President, Vladimir Putin.
Pyongyang wants the US to acknowledge North Korea as a nuclear power to start a dialogue with Washington, which will entail the lifting of UN sanctions.
On this matter, Trump said: “Well, I think they are sort of a nuclear power. When you say they have to be recognized as a nuclear power, well, they got a lot of nuclear weapons, I’ll say that.”
