The White House has announced that President Donald Trump will visit South Korea on Wednesday (Korean time) for talks with President Lee Jae Myung. Following an overnight stay in South Korea, Trump will hold a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the following day before returning to the U.S. the same day.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt briefed reporters in Washington, D.C. on October 23, stating that as part of his Asian tour, President Trump will depart the White House tomorrow night at 11:00 p.m. for Malaysia, arriving there on Sunday morning, October 26, local time.
Leavitt explained that Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Trump’s first Asian destination, is 12 hours ahead of Washington, D.C. The flight is expected to take over 20 hours, effectively resulting in a two-day journey.
She continued that after arriving in Malaysia, President Trump will hold bilateral talks with the Malaysian Prime Minister in the afternoon and attend a working dinner with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders that evening.
Leavitt added that on Monday morning, October 27, local time, President Trump will travel to Tokyo, Japan. He will meet with the new Japanese Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, on Tuesday morning, October 28, local time.
On Wednesday morning, October 29, local time, he will travel to Busan, South Korea, for a summit with President Lee Jae Myung. He will then deliver a keynote speech at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ working lunch in Gyeongju before attending a U.S.-hosted APEC leaders’ dinner, she stated.
Diplomatic sources confirmed that President Trump will enter South Korea through Busan, near Gyeongju, where the summit with President Lee will take place.
This summit marks the second meeting between U.S. and South Korean leaders since President Lee took office, following their first summit in Washington, D.C. on August 25. Observers are keen to see if the two countries can narrow their differences on the 350 billion USD U.S. investment method, a key issue in follow-up negotiations to the tariff agreement, and potentially sign a joint statement during this summit.
Leavitt further noted that on Thursday morning, October 30, local time, President Trump will hold bilateral talks with President Xi before departing for Washington, D.C. that night.
This meeting with President Xi will be the first U.S.-China summit since Trump began his second term.
The day before, Trump met with reporters at the White House, mentioning a fairly long planned meeting with President Xi in South Korea. He hinted at the possibility of a package deal involving rare earth elements, soybeans, and nuclear disarmament.
Notably, Trump indicated he would ask President Xi to help end the Russia-Ukraine war, stating that ultimately, the key point he wants to discuss with President Xi is how to end the Russia-Ukraine war, whether that involves oil, energy, or other means.
Press Secretary Leavitt’s official announcement did not include any schedule related to Kim Jong Un, the General Secretary of North Korea’s Workers’ Party. However, given the short duration of the trip, some analysts suggest that a meeting between Kim and President Trump cannot be entirely ruled out.