Donald Trump will make his first trip to a region hit by his aggressive trade tariffs since taking office in January, making his first stop in Malaysia for the first leg of a five-day tour that includes Japan and South Korea.
On the heels of Trump’s threat to impose new 100 percent tariffs on Chinese goods and Beijing’s expansion of export controls on rare earth magnets and minerals, top economic officials from the US and China kicked off the talks in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday on the sidelines of the summit of ASEAN.
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At an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea on Thursday, the talks aim to open the door for a high-stakes meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which might lead to trade agreements with China regarding US soybean purchases and technology controls.
Trump will make his longest trip abroad since returning to the White House in January on Sunday morning.
Trump expressed confidence in the outcome of his meeting with the Chinese leader as he left the White House on Friday evening. He told reporters, “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us.”
Trump-Xi meeting
Trump will meet Xi in Busan, South Korea, for the first time since taking office, on Thursday.
If no agreement is reached, Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Chinese imports totaling roughly 155 percent starting on November 1. That almost certainly would stoke Beijing’s response and put an end to the truce that put tit-for-tat hikes on hold.
Beyond trade, the two leaders are expected to discuss Russia, a Chinese ally who is currently facing more US sanctions for the conflict in Ukraine, and Taiwan, a long-standing source of conflict.
Trump added that he is likely to discuss the release of Jimmy Lai, the publisher of the now-defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. Under Beijing’s national security laws, Lai is currently serving time in prison in Hong Kong.
“It’s on my list,” I said. Trump said to reporters, “I’m going to ask. We’ll see what happens.”
In downtown Seoul, thousands of South Korean protesters are protesting Trump’s tariff policies and increasing investor pressure in the US ahead of his APEC summit visit.
summit of ASEAN
After skipping summit of ASEANs in 2018, 2019 and 2020, Trump, whose disdain for multilateralism is well-documented, will attend the gathering of Southeast Asian nations for the second time.
In Malaysia, Sanae Takaichi, the new prime minister of Japan, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the president of South Africa, and Cyril Ramaphosa will be among the other prominent leaders from non-ASEAN nations.
This year’s summit of ASEAN comes as Malaysia and the US have been working to address a deadly border conflict that fully erupted between Thailand and Cambodia in July before a ceasefire calmed hostilities.
Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim are scheduled to meet on Sunday, and they may help coordinate the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia.
Although it falls short of a comprehensive peace agreement, the deal would put an end to the worst fighting between the two countries in years.
Trump threatened earlier this year to withhold trade agreements with the nations if they didn’t put an end to fighting, so his administration has since begun to work with Malaysia on an expanded ceasefire.
Anwar was credited with helping to end the conflict, according to the president. Trump addressed reporters on Air Force One, “I tell the leader of Malaysia, who is a very good man, I think I owe you a trip.”
Lula, who wants to see the US lowering its 40% import tariff, may also attend a significant meeting with the US leader on Sunday. The US administration cited Brazil’s criminal prosecution of former US president Jair Bolsonaro as a justification for the tariffs.
Source: Aljazeera
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