Trump to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on October 30

U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to Asia this week for a high-stakes diplomatic tour that will include a face-to-face meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on October 30. The White House said the meeting will take place on the margins of the APEC summit and will focus on trade tensions, security issues, and global stability.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt outlined Trump’s multi-stop itinerary: Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea. The trip includes both ASEAN and APEC summits and is expected to feature talks on U.S.-China economic frictions, regional security flashpoints, and efforts to calm multiple international crises.

Trump had previously hinted he might cancel his sit-down with Xi amid an escalation in tariff threats and disputes over Chinese export controls on strategic materials. But he now says he is aiming for “a deal on everything,” suggesting he wants progress not only on trade but also on geopolitical issues. Trump also said he believes Xi could exert “a big influence” on Russia’s Vladimir Putin to help move toward an end to the war in Ukraine.

Trump departs Washington on Friday and is expected to land in Malaysia on Sunday for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit — a meeting he skipped several times during his first term. He is expected to sign a trade agreement with Malaysia and witness the signing of a peace accord between Thailand and Cambodia, which regional leaders are framing as a diplomatic breakthrough.

“President Trump is keen to see the positive outcome of the talks between Thailand and Cambodia,” Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said, framing the deal as part of Trump’s broader push to position himself as an international broker.

From there, Trump will head to Tokyo. He will meet Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi — the country’s first woman to hold the job — in talks that will likely focus on trade and security. Japan has largely avoided the harshest U.S. tariff measures that Trump has deployed against other countries in the name of correcting “unfair trade imbalances.”

The final and most closely watched leg of the trip is South Korea. Trump is scheduled to arrive in Busan midweek, then meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung. He’s also slated to address a business lunch tied to APEC, and hold a private dinner with U.S. tech executives in Gyeongju.

Trump’s meeting with Xi — their first since Trump returned to office — will follow. Global markets will be watching to see if the leaders of the world’s two largest economies can pause or de-escalate their trade confrontation, especially following tensions over Chinese restrictions on rare earths and expanded U.S. tariffs.

Seoul is also expected to court Trump directly. South Korean officials are reportedly considering bestowing the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, the country’s highest state honor, during the visit as they push for a more favourable trade arrangement of their own.

North Korea looms in the background. Pyongyang launched multiple ballistic missiles just days before Trump’s planned arrival, raising pressure on the region. South Korea has temporarily halted certain tourist access to parts of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), sparking speculation that a Trump–Kim Jong Un encounter could be in play.

Trump has publicly said he’d like another meeting with Kim after their previous direct talks, though there’s no confirmation yet that such a meeting is being arranged on this trip.