U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for the final leg of his Asia tour, seeking progress in trade negotiations and preparing for a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, even as North Korea conducted a provocative missile test.
Trump landed in the historic city of Gyeongju, where he is set to meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and address a regional business summit.
His visit comes hours after Pyongyang launched a nuclear-capable cruise missile into the sea, a move that drew international concern but little comment from Trump.
Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump dismissed the missile test, saying his focus remained on trade diplomacy.
“The relationship with China is very good. I think we’re going to have a very good outcome for our country, and for the world,” he told reporters.
Trump said he hopes to secure a reduction in U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods in exchange for Beijing’s commitment to curb exports of fentanyl precursor chemicals.
While Trump expressed optimism about his upcoming talks with Xi, prospects for progress with South Korea appeared limited. Negotiations over a $350 billion investment pledge Seoul made in August have stalled amid disputes over timing and structure.
Trump has also pressed South Korea to increase its defense contributions, while Seoul is seeking more U.S. visas for workers needed to build factories tied to those investments.
Lee’s office said the leaders would discuss trade, investment, and peace on the Korean Peninsula, including engagement with Pyongyang.
Trump has repeatedly called for renewed talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, though there has been no official response from the North.
The U.S.–China meeting on Thursday looms over the week’s events, with negotiators from both sides reportedly drafting a framework to halt rising tariffs and Chinese restrictions on rare earth exports. The news has already lifted global markets.
Although Taiwan remains a sensitive issue, Trump said he was uncertain whether it would come up in his discussions with Xi. Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung expressed confidence that the U.S. would not “abandon” the island, despite Trump’s efforts to strike a trade deal with Beijing.
Trump’s South Korea visit caps a whirlwind regional trip that has included trade pacts in Malaysia, peace initiatives in Southeast Asia, and a stop in Tokyo, where he praised Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi for bolstering military cooperation and deepening trade ties with Washington.
Gyeongju, fortified with thousands of police and soldiers for security, is hosting the APEC forum this week.
Trump will skip the leaders’ summit later in the week but will meet with several heads of state and deliver a keynote address to business leaders before returning to Washington.
The outcomes of his meetings in South Korea and China are expected to shape the next phase of global trade relations, and possibly determine the trajectory of Washington’s economic and security strategy in Asia.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
