Busan: US President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea as part of his Asia trip, with the primary focus on high-stakes summits with President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gathering in Gyeongju.

According to Philippines News Agency, Trump is seeking to secure trade and investment deals amidst recent market turmoil and his threats to impose tariffs on imports. After departing Tokyo, Trump landed in Busan’s Gimhae International Airport and is set to meet President Lee for their second summit in two months. A key point of interest is the potential finalization of a framework trade deal reached in July, which involves South Korea investing USD350 billion in the US in exchange for reduced tariffs. However, discrepancies in the investment package details have delayed the deal’s implementation.

The summit with Xi on Thursday marks the first meeting between Trump and the Chinese president since 2019. The session is highly anticipated as it could yield breakthroughs in the ongoing US-China trade war. Recent developments include China tightening export controls on rare earths and Trump’s threat of a 100 percent tariff on Chinese goods. The trade issues extend to China’s halt on US soybean purchases and US pressure on China regarding fentanyl.

Trump expressed optimism about achieving a strong trade deal with China, indicating mutual satisfaction is possible. Additionally, there’s speculation about a potential meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during Trump’s visit. Previous meetings aimed at dismantling North Korea’s nuclear program stalled due to disagreements, but Trump remains open to further engagement with Kim, despite the North’s silence on the matter.