Trump to visit Malaysia before ASEAN meetings as trade tensions simmer - salam
Assalamu alaikum - US and Chinese trade officials have begun talks in Kuala Lumpur to try to clear the way for an important meeting between President Trump and China’s Xi.
By international news agencies
United States President Donald Trump is due in Malaysia as the first stop on a five-day trip that also includes Japan and South Korea. This is his first visit to the region since he introduced tough tariffs earlier this year.
Senior economic representatives from the US and China started discussions in Kuala Lumpur on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit, trying to find a way forward after Trump threatened to double tariffs on some Chinese goods and China imposed new export curbs on certain minerals.
The aim is to prepare for a high-stakes meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the APEC summit in South Korea, where they may try to reach agreements on tariffs, technology controls and Chinese purchases of US soybeans.
On his way to Malaysia, Trump will stop in Qatar to meet the Emir and the prime minister of Qatar on Air Force One for a brief meeting during refuelling, with the fragile Gaza ceasefire a key topic. A senior US official said the secretary of state, who had been in Israel, will join him in Qatar.
Trump is expected to arrive Sunday morning in Kuala Lumpur for his longest foreign trip since returning to the White House.
As he left Washington, Trump said he expects a “good meeting” with President Xi. “We have a lot to talk about with President Xi, and he has a lot to talk about with us,” he told reporters.
The leaders are due to meet on Thursday in Busan, South Korea. Trump has warned he could raise tariffs on many Chinese imports to very high levels from November 1 if no deal is reached, a move likely to prompt a strong response from Beijing and end the current pause in tit-for-tat measures.
Along with trade, the talks are expected to touch on Taiwan and Russia, which has faced expanded US sanctions over the war in Ukraine. Trump also said he may raise the case of Jimmy Lai, the jailed founder of the pro-democracy paper Apple Daily in Hong Kong.
Back home, thousands of South Koreans are holding protests in Seoul against Trump’s tariff policies and pressure on South Korea to increase investment in the US.
After missing ASEAN meetings in previous years, Trump, who has often criticised multilateral diplomacy, will attend the Southeast Asian gathering for the second time.
Other leaders from outside the region will be in Malaysia too, including Japan’s new prime minister, Brazil’s president, and South Africa’s president.
This year’s summit comes as Malaysia and the US have worked to help resolve a serious border conflict between Thailand and Cambodia that flared in July and has since calmed after a ceasefire.
Trump is set to meet Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Sunday; Anwar has played a central role in brokering talks between Thailand and Cambodia and may be present as the two sides formalise a ceasefire agreement. Thailand’s prime minister travelled to Malaysia to sign that agreement and to meet Trump.
The deal would solidify a truce that ended the worst clashes in years, though it is not a full peace settlement. Earlier this year Trump warned he might withhold trade benefits if the fighting did not stop, and his administration has worked with Malaysia on expanding the ceasefire.
Trump praised Anwar as someone who helped resolve the dispute. “I told the leader of Malaysia, who is a very good man, I think I owe you a trip,” he said.
Malaysia’s foreign minister also said ASEAN is discussing sending election observers to Myanmar, where polls are expected later this year under the military government. Human Rights Watch has urged countries at the regional summits to reject those planned elections.
Trump may also hold an important meeting with Brazil’s president, who wants the US to lower a roughly 40 percent tariff on some Brazilian goods. The White House has not confirmed whether that meeting will take place.
May Allah (SWT) grant wisdom to leaders and ease tensions - wassalam.
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