President Donald Trump is set to depart for an action-packed trip to Asia, bookended by meetings with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar bin Ibrahim on Sunday and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.
Trump departs the White House for the nearly 24-hour flight to Malaysia on Friday night and is set to arrive in Kuala Lumpur mid-morning local time Sunday, before a meeting and signing with Ibrahim in the afternoon, according to the White House’s itinerary.
Later in the afternoon, Trump will participate in a second signing, this time with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnviraku. Trump used trade as leverage to secure the countries’ agreement to a ceasefire in July.
From there, Trump is set to participate in a working dinner with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) later that night.
On Monday morning local time, Trump will depart for Japan, where he will meet Japan’s First Female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at Thursday’s press briefing.
Trump congratulated Takaichi earlier this month after it became apparent she would replace former Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru.
“Japan has just elected its first female Prime Minister, a highly respected person of great wisdom and strength. This is tremendous news for the incredible people of Japan. Congratulations to all!” he wrote in a Truth Social post.
On Wednesday, Trump will head to Busan, South Korea, for a meeting with President Lee Jae-Myung before delivering remarks at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO luncheon, followed by a working dinner with U.S. APEC leaders, Leavitt said.
On Thursday local time, the last day of the trip, Trump is scheduled to meet with Xi as trade tensions persist between the United States and China. Trump will return to Washington, DC, on Thursday Eastern time.
Read the full article here