Trump kicks off Asia tour with Xi meeting on the agenda

FRANCE 24 English

Visit our website: http://www.france24.com  Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English  Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/France24_en

Transcript

00:00U.S. President Donald Trump has officially kicked off his first Asian tour since his re-election.

00:05Starting in Malaysia, he will then go on to South Korea and Japan.

00:09Trump will want to prove himself as a dealmaker.

00:12He'll not want to leave any stone unturned when it comes to the most serious issues.

00:16The highlight will be a meeting with Xi Jinping on Thursday in South Korea

00:20at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, known as APEC, summit.

00:25There will likely be discussions on the war in Ukraine,

00:27the production of fentanyl in China, a destructive opioid in the United States, and Taiwan.

00:33But also, of course, tariffs.

00:35We have a good relationship with, as you know, President Xi.

00:38Very good. We're going to be meeting. We'll have a good meeting.

00:41I'm pretty sure we're going to have a great meeting, maybe a great meeting.

00:45But I think we're going to do some good business.

00:47A team of negotiators led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant

00:51is preceding the U.S. President and is already negotiating a trade agreement

00:55with a Chinese delegation in Malaysia.

00:58It is there at the ASEAN Summit, which brings together the countries of Southeast Asia,

01:02that Donald Trump will begin his tour,

01:04with the likely signing of a trade agreement with Malaysia.

01:07He will then meet with the new Japanese Prime Minister

01:10and possibly even the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

01:14The last meeting between the two men dates back to 2019.

01:17The signing of trade agreements remains the priority of this tour.

01:20For many of the countries out there, especially for U.S. Treaty allies like Japan and South Korea,

01:26they see their alliance with the United States as vital to their security.

01:31Even for many U.S. partners, Southeast Asian countries,

01:35that may not necessarily be formally aligned with the U.S.,

01:38they also see the United States as a vital economic partner,

01:43but also an important security partner

01:44and counterweight to China in their neighbourhood.

01:48China has recently reduced its exports of rare earths,

01:51yet these minerals are indispensable to the U.S. technology industry,

01:55and Beijing is using them as leverage in its trade war with the United States.

02:00Donald Trump responded by threatening to raise tariffs by 100%.

02:04Both sides will be seeking to reach an agreement on the issue.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended