Trump says he would be willing to meet Kim Jong-un as he begins whirlwind Asia tour | American foreign policy

Donald Trump has kicked off a tour of Asia where he is expected to take part in high-stakes trade talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping – telling reporters he is also open to a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Trump, who left Washington Friday evening, is expected to take a five-day trip to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, his first to the region since taking office in January.

Trump is expected to meet Xi on the last day of his trip to hammer out a deal ending the bruising trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he hoped for a “very good meeting” with Xi, adding that he expected China to reach a deal to avoid 100% tariffs taking effect on November 1.

By leaving Washington, Trump fueled speculation that while on the Korean Peninsula he might meet Kim Jong-un for the first time since 2019.

“I will. If you want to get the message across, I’m open to it,” Trump said aboard the presidential plane. “I had a great relationship with him.”

Regarding North Korea’s requirement to be recognized as a nuclear state as a precondition for dialogue with Washington, Trump responded: “Well, I think they are somewhat of a nuclear power.”

“When you say they should be recognized as a nuclear power, well, they have a lot of nuclear weapons, I will say that.”

The two leaders met three times during Trump’s first term. Kim said he would also be willing to meet with the US president if Washington dropped demands that Pyongyang give up its nuclear arsenal.

South Korea’s reunification minister said Friday that there was a “considerable” chance that Trump and Kim would meet while the U.S. leader was in South Korea, and CNN, citing unnamed sources, reported last weekend that U.S. officials had discussed arranging a meeting during his visit.

However, before he left the United States on Friday, U.S. officials attempted to quell speculation, telling reporters that there were currently no plans to meet with the North Korean leader.

Trump’s first stop will be Malaysia, where he will arrive on Sunday for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. There he is expected to sign a trade deal with Malaysia and oversee the signing of a peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia.

He said he also hoped to meet Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the summit to improve relations after months of tensions.

Trump’s next destination will be Tokyo, where he will meet Sanae Takaichi, this week named Japan’s first female prime minister.

But the highlight of the trip is expected to be South Korea, where Trump is scheduled to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit, and where he is expected to meet Xi for the first time since returning to power.

Global markets will be closely watching whether the two men can end the trade war sparked by Trump’s drastic tariffs earlier this year, particularly after a recent dispute over Beijing’s restrictions on rare earths.

Trump first threatened to cancel the meeting and announced new 100% tariffs during the argument, before saying he would ultimately move forward.

An interim deal could include limited tariff relief, an extension of current rates or China’s commitment to buying U.S.-made soybeans and Boeing planes. Beijing reneged on similar promises in a 2020 deal with Trump.

Beyond trade, the two leaders are expected to discuss Taiwan and Russia, a Chinese ally now subject to expanded U.S. sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

Before leaving the White House on Friday for the trip, Trump told reporters that he expected the Taiwan issue to come up during his talks with Xi.

Trump also said he would likely raise the issue of releasing Jimmy Lai, the founder of the defunct pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. Lai is serving a prison sentence in Hong Kong under national security laws imposed by Beijing.

“It’s on my list. I’m going to ask…We’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters.

With Reuters and Agence France-Presse