Trump in Japan as hopes grow for China trade deal

KUALA LUMPUR – Mr Donald Trump arrived in Japan on Oct 27, the next leg of an Asia tour that could see the US President and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping end their bruising trade war.

Speaking on Air Force One, Mr Trump said he was hopeful of a deal when he sees Mr Xi on Oct 30 in South Korea, while also indicating he was willing to extend his trip to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

“I have a lot of respect for President Xi and we are going to, I think... come away with a deal,” Mr Trump told reporters en route from Malaysia, where comments from US and Chinese trade negotiators raised hopes of an accord.

Dozens of people gathered at Haneda Airport hoping to take photos of Air Force One as it landed.

Mr Trump was due in Tokyo in time for an evening audience with Japan’s Emperor.

On Oct 28, Trump is expected to meet Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and make a speech on the USS George Washington.

The US leader said he had heard “great things about her” and hailed the fact that she was an acolyte of assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe, with whom Mr Trump had close ties.

Ms Takaichi said she told Mr Trump ahead of the meeting that strengthening the Japan-US alliance was her administration’s “top priority on the diplomatic and security front”.

On Oct 24, she announced in her first policy speech that Japan would be spending 2 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence in this fiscal year.

But Washington, which has around 60,000 military personnel in Japan, wants Tokyo to spend even more, potentially matching the

5 per cent of GDP pledged by Nato members

in June.

Most Japanese imports into the United States are subject to tariffs of 15 per cent, less painful than the 25 per cent first threatened.

But Mr Trump also wants Japan to import more American products, including rice and cars, particularly “very beautiful” Ford F-150 pickup trucks.

Questions also surround Japan’s commitment to invest US$550 billion (S$713.6 billion) in the US, as specified in their July trade deal. Japan says only 1 per cent to 2 per cent of this will be actual investments.

‘Going to be great’

The trip, Mr Trump’s first in the region since returning to office, kicked off in Malaysia on Oct 26 with a flurry of agreements.

These included rewarding neighbours Cambodia and Thailand with trade agreements after co-signing their ceasefire pact on the sidelines of the Asean summit in Kuala Lumpur.

He also agreed on a trade and minerals deal with Malaysia, and moves to mend fences with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after months of bad blood.

“I think we’ll be able to do some pretty good deals,” he told the leftist leader.

Mr Trump squeezed in a meeting with Qatar’s leaders during a refuelling stop on the way to Malaysia, where they discussed the fragile truce in Gaza.

It was Mr Trump’s first visit as president to Kuala Lumpur, where his flight was escorted by two Malaysian F-18 jets, before a red-carpet welcome where he gave his trademark arm-waving dance.

The greatest prize for Mr Trump remains a China deal.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng had already held two days of trade talks, seeking an agreement to avoid additional 100 per cent tariffs due to come into effect on Nov 1.

Chinese Vice-Commerce Minister Li Chenggang said a “preliminary consensus” had been reached.

Mr Bessent told ABC that the extra tariffs had been averted, and signalled a deal on rare earths and American soya bean exports had been reached.

“It’s going to be great for China, great for us,” Mr Trump told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.

‘Would love’ to meet Kim

Mr Trump is due in the southern port city of Busan on Oct 29 ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit and will meet South Korean President Lee Jae-myung.

Global markets will be watching closely to see if the meeting with Mr Xi on Oct 30 can halt the trade war sparked by Mr Trump’s sweeping tariffs, especially after a recent dispute over Beijing’s rare earth curbs.

Mr Trump has also added to speculation that he could meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while on the Korean peninsula, saying he was “open to it”.

The two leaders last met in 2019 at the demilitarised zone, the border area separating the two Koreas.

“I would love to meet with him if he’d like to meet. I got along great with Kim Jong Un. I liked him. He liked me,” Mr Trump said on Air Force One.

Asked if he would extend his trip to enable a meeting, he said: “Well, I hadn’t thought of it, but I think the answer would be yeah, I would, I would do that, sure.” AFP