Trump to meet Chinese President Xi in South Korea on Oct 30

Washington, Oct 24 (IANS) US President Donald Trump is set to embark on a major trip to Asia this week, with a significant meeting with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping scheduled to be held in South Korea.

The highlight will be his talks with Xi in South Korea, which White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed would take place on October 30 on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

Leavitt on Thursday shared details of Trump's Asia tour, which covers Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea for ASEAN and APEC summits, with trade talks, peace dialogue, and US-China tensions in focus.

Trump had previously threatened to scrap the meeting amid a flare-up in the trade war between Washington and Beijing, but he said on Wednesday he now hoped for a "deal on everything".

Trump will leave Washington on Friday and arrive on Sunday in Malaysia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit -- a meeting Trump skipped several times in his first term.

He is set to sign a trade deal with Malaysia -- but more importantly to oversee the signing of a peace accord between Thailand and Cambodia, as he continues his quest for a Nobel Peace Prize.

"President Trump is keen to see the more positive results of the peace negotiations between Thailand and Cambodia," Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.

Trump's next stop will be Tokyo on Tuesday and he will meet conservative Sanae Takaichi, named this week as Japan's first woman Prime Minister, on Wednesday.

Japan has escaped the worst of the tariffs Trump slapped on countries around the world to end what he calls unfair trade balances that are "ripping off the United States".

The climax of the APEC summit trip is expected to be South Korea, with Trump due to arrive in the southern port city of Busan later on Wednesday, Leavitt said.

Trump will then meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, address an APEC lunch with business leaders and meet US tech CEOs for dinner, the White House said, on the sidelines of the APEC summit in the city of Gyeongju.

The next day Trump will meet Xi for the first time since his return to office.

Global markets will be watching closely to see if the two men can halt the trade war between the world's two biggest economies, especially after a recent row over Beijing's rare earth curbs.

Trump initially threatened to cancel the meeting and imposed fresh tariffs, before saying he would go ahead after all.

He said on Wednesday that he hoped to make a deal with Xi on "everything" and also hoped the Chinese leader could have a "big influence" on getting Russia's Vladimir Putin to end the Ukraine war.

South Korea, seeking its own trade deal, is reportedly considering the rare step of awarding Trump the Grand Order of Mugunghwa -- the country's highest decoration -- during his visit.

North Korea will also be on the agenda. The country fired multiple ballistic missiles on Wednesday, just days before Trump was due to visit.

South Korea has halted tours in parts of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, officials said on Thursday, fueling speculation of a new meeting between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Trump has said he hopes to meet Kim again following several meetings during the US President's first term, but there has been no confirmation of reports that the White House was looking at a new meeting this time.

--IANS

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