President Donald Trump embarked on his inaugural trip to Asia during his term, a journey aimed at fostering investment opportunities and promoting peace initiatives. A key highlight of this trip is a direct meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, where Trump seeks to ease tensions stemming from the ongoing trade conflict between the two nations.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump expressed optimism about reaching a comprehensive agreement. He emphasized plans to discuss critical issues like fentanyl trafficking and China’s recent halt in purchasing soybeans from American farmers. “I want our farmers to be taken care of. And he wants things also,” Trump remarked, hinting at a potential mutual understanding.

This trip also serves as an opportunity for Trump to bolster his diplomatic credentials, having recently orchestrated a ceasefire and a hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas. En route to Malaysia, the President made a brief stop in Qatar, where he met with the ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. During their meeting aboard the plane, Trump noted their discussions on the evolving security measures in Gaza, stating, “It’s working very well. It’s all smooth. The U.S. doesn’t have to get much involved.”

Trump’s visit to Malaysia is set against the backdrop of a prolonged U.S. government shutdown, which has left many federal employees without pay as air traffic controllers continue to work unpaid. The shutdown has triggered flight disruptions and raised concerns about the continuity of federal food aid. Despite the impasse, with Republicans standing firm against Democratic demands for health care funding, Trump appears to proceed with international engagements undeterred.

In response to the President’s departure, U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York commented, “America is shut down and the President is skipping town,” highlighting the domestic challenges juxtaposed against Trump’s foreign agenda.

“America is shut down and the President is skipping town,” said U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York.

Trump’s first stop is at a regional summit in Kuala Lumpur. Trump attended the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit only once during his first term, but this year it comes as Malaysia and the U.S. have been working to address a skirmish between Thailand and Cambodia.

On Sunday, he scheduled a meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, followed by a joint signing ceremony with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia.

Trump threatened earlier this year to withhold trade deals with the countries if they didn’t stop fighting, and his administration has since been working with Malaysia to nail down an expanded ceasefire.

The president credited Ibrahim with working to resolve the conflict.

“I told the leader of Malaysia, who is a very good man, I think I owe you a trip,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One.

Trump on Sunday may also have a significant meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who wants to see the U.S. cut a 40% tariff on Brazilian imports. The U.S. administration has justified the tariffs by citing Brazil’s criminal prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro a Trump ally.

Beyond trade, Lula on Friday also criticized the U.S. campaign of military strikes off the South American coast in the name of fighting drug trafficking. He said he planned to raise concerns with Trump at a meeting on Sunday in Malaysia. The White House has not yet publicly confirmed the meeting is set to take place.

After Malaysia, Trump has stops in Japan and South Korea

From there, Trump heads to Japan and South Korea, where he’s expected to make progress on talks for at least $900 billion in investments for U.S. factories and other projects that those countries committed to in return for easing Trump’s planned tariff rates down to 15% from 25%.

The trip to Tokyo comes a week after Japan elected its first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. Trump is set to meet with Takaichi, who is a protégé of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Trump was close to Abe, who was assassinated after leaving office. Trump spoke to Takaichi during his flight.

While there, Trump is expected to be hosted by Japanese Emperor Naruhito, and meet with U.S. troops who are stationed in Japan, according to a senior U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity about the planned trip.

In South Korea, Trump is expected to hold a highly anticipated meeting with China’s Xi on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.

While the APEC summit is set to be held in Gyeongju, the Trump-Xi meeting is expected to take place in the city of Busan, according to the U.S. official.

The meeting follows months of volatile moves in a trade war between China and the U.S. that have rattled the global economy.

Trump was infuriated earlier this month after Beijing imposed new export controls on rare earths used in technology and threatened to hike retaliatory tariffs to sky-high levels.

Trump told reporters on Friday that he might ask Xi about freeing Jimmy Lai, a pro-democracy newspaper founder, saying “it’ll be on my list.”

The only meeting that could possibly eclipse the Xi summit would be an impromptu reunion with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Speculation has been rife since South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young told lawmakers this month it was possible that Trump could again meet with Kim in the Demilitarized Zone, as he did in 2019.

But such a meeting is not on the president’s schedule for this trip, according to the U.S. official.

Trump suggested on Friday that it was hard to reach the North Korean leader.

“They have a lot of nuclear weapons, but not a lot of telephone service,” he said.

__

Price reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.