Donald Trump begins a major tour of Asia, which is seen as important for the global economy, during which he will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The U.S. president announced Wednesday “a major trip” to Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea, in his first visit to the region in his second term.

The White House unveiled details of Trump’s schedule yesterday (Thursday), mainly confirming his meeting with Xi. This will take place on Thursday, October 30, in South Korea on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum summit.

“On Thursday morning, local time, President Trump will participate in a bilateral meeting with President Xi of the People’s Republic of China before departing to return to the US, White House spokeswoman Caroline Levitt said yesterday.

A US-China trade war that has been simmering for months erupted earlier this month when Beijing dramatically expanded restrictions on rare earth exports.

Trump then threatened China with retaliatory tariffs and other measures, but in recent days has appeared more optimistic regarding the possibility of reaching a bilateral trade deal. “I think we’ll do very well and everybody will be very happy,” he estimated yesterday.

Besides, China and the US are to hold new trade talks in the coming days in Malaysia, which is hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit from Sunday, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce also pointed out yesterday.

All the countries he will visit are expected to roll out the red carpet for Trump in a bid to win his favour and get the best possible deals on tariffs and security guarantees.

The US president leaves Washington today to attend the Asean summit in Malaysia on Sunday, which he avoided several times during his first term, which will be held from October 26 to 28.

There he is expected to conclude a trade deal with Malaysia and attend the signing of the Thailand-Cambodia peace agreement.

“Sincere discussions”

Trump is scheduled to meet with his Brazilian counterpart Luis Inácio Lula da Silva during this session.

The two leaders have begun to smooth over their differences after months of tensions mainly related to the trial and conviction of far-right former Brazilian President Jaix Bolsonaro, a Trump ally.

Donald Trump will travel to Japan on Monday, where he will meet the next day with Prime Minister Shanae Takaiichi, the first woman to lead the Japanese government.

Takayichi said she wants to have “frank” talks with Trump.

Tokyo signed a trade deal with Washington over the summer, although some details remain to be discussed.

In addition, the U.S. president wants Japan to stop importing Russian energy and increase its defense spending.

“All issues”

But the highlight of the tour will be in South Korea, where Trump is expected to arrive on October 29 for APEC, on the sidelines of which he will meet with Xi Jinping in Gyeongju.

On Wednesday, the Republican indicated that he hoped to reach an agreement with his Chinese counterpart on “all issues.”

Trump will also meet with his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung, deliver a speech before business leaders, and attend a dinner for APEC leaders, according to the White House.

North Korea, which again launched ballistic missiles on Wednesday, will also be on the agenda.

Trump has said he hopes to meet with leader Kim Jong Un, possibly this year, following three summits the two men had during his first term.

The White House has not confirmed reports that such a meeting is planned during this trip. However, South Korea’s unification minister said today that he believes there is a “strong” possibility that the U.S. president will meet with the North Korean leader next week.

North Korea appears to be “paying attention to the United States and various signs (…) suggest that there is a strong possibility of a meeting,” Chung Dong-yang told reporters.