Trump heads to Asia for high-stakes summit with Xi Jinping

Donald Trump headed into Asia with the balance of power in the Pacific hanging over every stop. His first meetings in Japan and South Korea were set to reassure two treaty allies before he travels to China for a two-day summit with Xi Jinping that could shape trade, security and U.S. leverage in the region.

The trip put Japan and South Korea on the front line of Trump’s Asia diplomacy. In South Korea, Trump was expected to meet President Lee Jae-myung on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju, a venue that has become a key stage for U.S.-China diplomacy. Seoul has tried to keep its APEC agenda intact while managing the pressure that comes with Trump and Xi meeting so close to home.

Trump’s last visit to the region, in October 2025, ran five days and included Malaysia, Japan and South Korea. That trip culminated in a roughly 100-minute meeting with Xi in Busan on October 30, 2025, where the two sides struck a one-year trade truce that temporarily lowered some tariffs and export controls. That agreement now hangs over the new round of talks as Trump looks for fresh concessions without giving away too much ground on trade or security.

The agenda in China is sprawling. U.S.-China discussions are expected to cover Taiwan, trade, artificial intelligence, nuclear weapons, Iran and critical minerals, with Reuters reporting that the two sides are also weighing whether to extend a critical minerals deal. Analysts say the result could reverberate far beyond the bilateral relationship, affecting global trade and geopolitics.

Taiwan remains the most sensitive issue for Xi. U.S. and regional observers have warned that any statement or concession on the island could carry major consequences for long-standing U.S. policy and for security in the Indo-Pacific. That makes the summit more than a diplomatic reset. It is a direct test of whether Trump can extract something tangible from Xi while preserving America’s standing with allies who are watching every move.