Trump heads to Asia with trade — and tensions with Xi — on the agenda

President Donald Trump arrived in Southeast Asia on Sunday for his first visit to the continent since returning to office, a three-nation tour through Malaysia, Japan and South Korea that is expected to culminate in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as tensions between the world’s two biggest economies tick higher.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — President Donald Trump arrived in Malaysia on Sunday in his first stop on a three-country Asia tour that is expected to culminate in a highly anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as tensions between the world’s two biggest economies tick higher.

“The first message is Trump the peacemaker. The second is Trump the moneymaker,” said Victor Cha of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “And then, of course, with the meeting with China, I think what everybody’s expecting is that there’s probably not going to be a big trade deal, but there will be an effort to de-escalate or put a pause on the situation.”

Trade is expected to dominate the week. Aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump said he would subsidize U.S. farmers if he did not reach a deal with China, and that he planned to discuss the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war with Xi, saying he’d like to see China “help us out.”

The president also suggested he was angling for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, even as the White House has said that no meeting is planned.

“You know, they don’t have a lot of telephone service,” Trump said, before urging reporters to “put out the word.”