US President Trump is set to embark on a tour of Asia this week. His stops would include Malaysia, Japan and South Korea. It will be his first trip to the region during his second term.
Here’s what the three countries expect from Trump:
According to the New York Times, governments across Asia are trying to stabilize relations with the US amid a trade war and tariff disputes. Many nations will struggle to find a way to balance their relationship with Washington and an increasingly assertive China — given Beijing’s growing influence in the Southeast Asian region.
Malaysia
Trump’s first trip to Southeast Asia since 2017 will take him to the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur on Sunday. There, he hopes to sign a trade deal with Malaysia and witness a peace accord between Thailand and Cambodia, the New York Times reported.
Most Southeast Asian countries were hit with tariffs of around 19 to 20 percent.
Trump is also expected to meet with at least 10 leaders of regional nations gathered for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit.
Southeast Asia is valuable to the US not only because of the size of its market, but also because of its strategic importance as a bulwark against China. The region is also an important supply chain hub for many US companies that have relocated from China.
Many are looking for clues to a possible trade deal with Malaysia as to what their deals will look like. Notably, the US is the main export destination for Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and Cambodia.
Japan
Trump will fly to Japan from Malaysia. In Japan, Trump will meet with the country’s new leader, Sanae Takaichi, the first woman to hold the position of prime minister.
Japan is currently focused on finalizing the details of a trade agreement with the US. In July, Japan received a lower-than-threatened 15 percent flat-rate tariff on its exports in exchange for a commitment to pump $550 billion into the U.S. economy.
According to the New York Times, while the U.S. and Japan recently ironed out several ambiguities in the trade deal, a major point of contention remains: the details of how Japan will handle the $550 billion in investments, loans and loan guarantees.
Japan is reportedly anticipating demands from the Trump administration to significantly increase military spending.
Japan’s new leader, Takaichi, is also likely to raise concerns about China’s growing military and economic power in Asia. He is expected to seek a renewed pledge from Trump that the US will continue to support a military and economic alliance with Japan that has historically served as a check on China’s influence in the region.
South Korea
Trump is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
Much of the attention in South Korea is on whether South Korean President Lee Jae Myung can settle the tariff dispute with Trump during the visit.
Notably, South Korea is home to the largest US military base overseas, an asset the Pentagon wanted to use to deter not only North Korea, but also China.
However, South Korea’s export-driven economy relies heavily on trade with China. According to the NYT, Lee does not want to antagonize China. The meeting in Gyeongju will be a test of Lee’s diplomatic juggling act.
China
Trump will hold his first face-to-face meeting with Xi Jinping on Thursday.
Chinese and US trade negotiators are meeting this weekend to try to hammer out details on what the leaders can agree on when they meet in Gyeongju before Trump returns to the US.
Beijing is pressuring Washington to lower tariffs on Chinese products and lift its restrictions. He also threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs and restrictions on US software exports.
The Chinese leader will enter the talks with considerable leverage, able to point to China’s near-monopoly on rare earth minerals essential to global manufacturing.
