Trump Heads to Japan Ahead of Key China Talks

Trump Heads to Japan Ahead of Key China Talks

US President Donald Trump departed for Japan on Monday, marking the second leg of his Asia tour ahead of a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping aimed at resolving the prolonged trade war between the world’s two largest economies.

Optimism in Washington and Beijing over a possible deal lifted Japan’s Nikkei index above 50,000 points for the first time on Monday.

Trump is expected to arrive in Tokyo for an evening audience with the Emperor of Japan before holding talks on Tuesday with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

Praising Takaichi as a protégé of the late Shinzo Abe, Trump said he had “heard great things about her.” The Japanese premier noted that deepening the Japan-US alliance remained her administration’s “top diplomatic and security priority.”

Japan has largely escaped the sweeping tariffs imposed by Trump on global partners as part of his drive to end what he terms “unfair trade imbalances” harming the United States.

The Asia tour, Trump’s first since returning to office, began in Malaysia on Sunday, where he signed a series of agreements, including trade deals with Cambodia and Thailand following their ceasefire pact at the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.

He also reached a minerals and trade deal with Malaysia and moved to repair strained relations with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. “I think we’ll be able to do some pretty good deals,” Trump told reporters.

En route to Malaysia, Trump met Qatari leaders during a refuelling stop to discuss the fragile Gaza truce. His arrival in Kuala Lumpur was marked by a red-carpet welcome and a ceremonial flyover by Malaysian F-18 jets.

The central focus of Trump’s tour, however, remains a breakthrough with China. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng have held two days of talks that produced what Beijing described as a “preliminary consensus.”

Bessent later confirmed that new tariffs had been averted and hinted at agreements on rare earths and American soybean exports. “It’s going to be great for China, great for us,” Trump said before leaving Malaysia.

Following Japan, Trump will travel to South Korea, where he is set to meet Xi Jinping on Thursday in the southern port city of Busan during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

Global markets are closely watching whether the two leaders can finally defuse trade tensions, particularly after recent disputes over Beijing’s restrictions on rare earth exports.

Trump also signalled he was “open” to meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his visit to the Korean peninsula. The two last met in 2019 at the Demilitarised Zone separating the two Koreas.

South Korea’s reunification minister recently said there is a “considerable” chance of such a meeting taking place, though Kim has indicated he would only agree if Washington eases its demand for denuclearisation.