In the midst of all the developments with allies and adversaries on the trade, tariff and investment fronts, there are apparently quiet moves afoot in Washington to see if US President Donald Trump could travel to Asia, the first leg of which will be to South Korea for the gathering of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC).
That summit of 21 leaders of the organisation is to be held in the city of Gyeongju in October-November. The proposed visit to South Korea, reported by CNN, is seen as an opportunity for Trump to have a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
It is not unusual for leaders attending a meeting like the APEC to take time out for bilateral sessions; and Trump will be sought out by many. But his meeting with Xi is seen with a degree of importance in the context of not only trade and tariffs but also against the backdrop of the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin and the 80th anniversary celebration of the ending of the Second World War in Beijing.
On the one hand Trump has said that he was impressed at the military parade in Beijing; but on the other he was also miffed over the getting together of the leaders of China, Russia and India, which had an anti-America twist.
It remains to be seen if the Trump-Xi meeting will be in South Korea or if the American leader will travel to Beijing given that he has a recent standing invitation from the Chinese President. But irrespective of the meeting venue, Washington and Beijing have been engaged in a series of high-level sessions on tariffs. Unlike with other nations, Trump decided to put on hold the harsh measures of April to give negotiations a chance.
At the peak of the tariff war, Trump had slapped 145 per cent tariffs on China, the latter responding with 125 per cent on American products. The August pause on higher rates was extended by an Executive Order by Trump until November.
Meeting with Kim?
Trump's possible visit to South Korea has raised the possibility of a separate session with North Korean strongman Kim Jong Un who was an invitee for the recent military parade and celebrations in Beijing with images of Putin, Xi and Kim perhaps further irritating Trump.
Pyongyang's constant tirade against Washington and threats of its missiles reaching America's coastlines have now become a routine. But what stands in the way of a Trump-Kim third meeting is a recent report in the New York Times that in 2019, a Navy Seals mission, ostensibly with the purpose of planting a listening device in North Korea, failed resulting in the death of unarmed North Koreans. "I don't know anything about it... I could look but I know nothing about it" Trump said of the incident that took place during is first term.
Trump's possible visit to Asia still somehow seems to skip yet another destination -- India and the leaders' meeting of the Quad that should take place in November. Although Trump has been quite critical of India on the trade-tariff issue, he has been measured, if not polite, in his references to Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
This is in stark contrast to some senior administration officials' rant against India and personal broadsides at Modi. For the Quad meeting to take place, the leaders of the two nations would have to work out an understanding through a conversation and reaching a trade deal. The big question is, if Trump skips the Quad conclave, will the leaders of Japan, Australia and India go ahead with their meeting?
The writer is a senior journalist who has reported from Washington DC on North America and UN
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Published on September 8, 2025
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