White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump will depart for Malaysia late Friday night and continue to Japan and South Korea, where he will hold a bilateral meeting with Xi next Thursday after addressing the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit.
“On Thursday morning local time, President Trump will participate in a bilateral meeting with President Xi of the People’s Republic of China before departing to return home,” Leavitt told reporters.
Trump’s itinerary includes a meeting with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday, followed by a working dinner with Association of Southeast Asian Nations leaders. On Monday, he will travel to Tokyo to meet Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday.
The president will then head to South Korea on Wednesday to meet President Lee Jae Myung, deliver keynote remarks at a luncheon for CEOs on the sidelines of the APEC Summit, and join a U.S.-APEC leaders’ working dinner.
A simmering U.S.-China trade war flared up in early October after Beijing expanded curbs on rare-earth mineral exports. Trump had threatened retaliatory tariffs but recently voiced optimism about a potential trade deal. “I think we’re going to come out very well, and everyone’s going to be very happy,” Trump said Thursday.
His remarks contrasted with tougher statements from top trade and finance officials, who left for Asia on Wednesday to ensure Trump’s meeting with Xi, the first of his second term, stays on track.
Trump said his first question for Xi would be about fentanyl, a leading cause of overdose deaths in the United States. Washington has accused Beijing of failing to control precursor chemicals, while China has rejected the claim and accused the U.S. of using the issue to “blackmail” Beijing.
“The first question I’m going to be asking him about is fentanyl,” Trump said. “I’m putting it right at the front of the list.”
