President Trump said he would consider meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un as he set out on a trip to Asia that features a high-stakes meeting with President Xi Jinping of China.
Trump told reporters as he left Washington he was “open” to meeting Kim for the fourth time – days after North Korea fired off ballistic missiles in the region.
President Trump was direct about his intentions for the upcoming meeting with China’s president, Xi Jinping. REUTERS“I would. If you want to put out the word, I’m open to it,” Trump said late Friday en route to Malaysia. “He knows I’m coming. I’d be open to it 100 percent.”
Trump is set to attend two broader summits, one in Kuala Lumpur and another in Gyeongju, South Korea, but it is his bilateral talk with Xi that has the potential to either soothe or settle a trade war and impact global hot spots.
Trump has already floated the first demand he will make in talks with Xi, which were set for Thursday in Busan, South Korea, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit.
Confronting the flow of fentanyl to the US would be “the first question I’m going to be asking.” Trump said this week.
Trump is also expected to meet with Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. AFP via Getty Images
Trump says the first issue he will raise with Chinese President Xi Jinping is fentanyl. AP“Usually he’s secretive about negotiations. Here he is laying out his highest concern is fentanyl,” said China expert Michael Pillsbury.
The president got a jump start on his week of diplomacy by hosting the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on Air Force One during a refueling stop. Trump thanked him for his role pushing for the Israel-Hamas peace deal.
Trump heads to Tokyo Monday morning local time for his first meeting with Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Takaichi – a drummer in her past life – is preparing to announce the Japanese government will purchase a fleet of U.S.-made Ford pickup trucks, a source familiar with the plans told the Post.
