US president Donald Trump has left Malaysia for Japan for the second leg of his Asia tour, which is expected to include a highly anticipated meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping.
Trump departed from KLIA at 10.06am after attending the 47th Asean Summit and related summits in Kuala Lumpur, where several agreements were signed.
Among them were trade deals rewarding neighbouring Cambodia and Thailand after they signed a peace deal on the sidelines of the Asean Summit – which Trump witnessed – and an agreement to expand market access with Malaysia.
Upon arrival in Tokyo, Trump is scheduled to meet the emperor of Japan, followed tomorrow by a meeting with the new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi.
The highlight of the trip is expected to be in South Korea, where Trump is expected to meet Xi during the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) Summit to discuss their ongoing trade dispute.
It will be the first meeting between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House in January.
Global markets are expected to pay close attention to the Trump-Xi meeting on Thursday to see whether the trade war sparked by Trump’s sweeping tariffs can be resolved.
Trump, who is scheduled to arrive in the southern port city of Busan on Wednesday, will also meet South Korean president Lee Jae Myung.
