Trump Arrives in Japan, Optimistic About an Agreement with China
Donald Trump, who arrived in Japan on Monday, expressed strong optimism ahead of his crucial meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, aimed at resolving the trade dispute with China.
He also reiterated, with some insistence, that he would "really like" to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during this trip, which started in Malaysia and will conclude in South Korea for the highly anticipated summit with his Chinese counterpart.
"We will have a very good conversation" with Xi Jinping, predicted the American president during a press exchange aboard his plane regarding this meeting that will take place in South Korea.
"I think we are going to reach a commercial agreement," he added, praising his relationship with the Chinese president, which he described as one of "respect."
The 79-year-old billionaire was also enthusiastic about his visit to Tokyo, where he is expected to arrive around 5:00 PM local time (08:00 GMT), following a first stop in Malaysia that was already rich in trade announcements.
The American president will make a "courtesy visit" to Emperor Naruhito on Monday and will meet Japan's new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, on Tuesday.
He expressed his eagerness to meet her, saying he had heard "phenomenal things" about her. Donald Trump emphasized that the head of the Japanese executive was "a great ally and friend" of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with whom he was particularly close.
Japan has been relatively spared from the American president's major protectionist offensive, which has imposed tariffs on America's historical allies as much as, if not more than, on their rivals.
During a first phone call on Saturday, Sanae Takaichi assured the American president that she had made the strengthening of bilateral security ties a "main priority of (her) government."
- Aircraft Carrier -
Donald Trump, who has a distinctly transactional approach to diplomacy, wants to condition the military protection of the United States on the efforts made by its allies.
About 60,000 American soldiers are stationed in Japan. He will visit some of them on Tuesday aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, off Yokosuka, south of Tokyo.
Sanae Takaichi announced that Japan would raise its defense budget to 2% of GDP starting this current fiscal year, which ends on March 31, two years ahead of the previously set schedule.
As for trade, Washington and Tokyo reached an agreement in July.
Discussions on Tuesday could address outstanding issues, such as the form that the planned 550 billion in Japanese investments in the United States will take.
Trade negotiations with South Korea, where the American president will travel on Wednesday, are also ongoing.
The main customs issue still open, which has implications beyond the two protagonists to encompass the entire global economy, is China.
The former New York real estate developer has vowed to reduce the massive trade deficit the United States faces with the Asian giant, but he is struggling with the complexity of a relationship characterized as much by rivalry as by interdependence.
Washington remains optimistic about the possibility of finding compromises on Thursday regarding two sensitive issues: on one hand, access for the United States to Chinese rare earths, which are essential for technology industries, and on the other hand, China's purchase of American soybeans.
Donald Trump also did not rule out extending his stay in Asia on Monday to meet Kim Jong Un. Their last spectacular meeting took place in 2019 in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas.
Repeating several times that he would "really like" to see the North Korean leader again, he said: "I got along very well with Kim Jong Un. I liked him. He liked me."