Washington [US], October 24, 2025: US President Donald Trump will embark on a three-nation tour of Asia this weekend, beginning with a visit to Malaysia, where he will attend the ASEAN Summit before travelling to Japan and South Korea, the White House announced on Thursday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that President Trump will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on October 30, concluding the week-long diplomatic tour before returning to Washington.
Trump is scheduled to arrive in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, where Malaysia is hosting the annual meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its partner countries. He will take part in the ASEAN Summit on October 26–27, marking his first participation in the event after having skipped previous summits between 2018 and 2020.
During his stay in Malaysia, Trump will hold an expanded bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and participate in a signing ceremony with the prime ministers of Cambodia and Thailand — two countries that recently resolved a border dispute. Later that evening, he will attend a working dinner with US-ASEAN leaders.
Leavitt said Trump’s engagements will cover a range of issues, including trade, regional stability, and US-China relations.
Following Malaysia, Trump will travel to Japan for talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, focusing on trade cooperation and security partnerships.
He will then head to South Korea to attend the APEC CEO Summit in Gyeongju, meet President Lee Jae Myung, and address regional business leaders.
The high-profile meeting with Xi Jinping is expected to centre on trade tensions, rare-earth exports, and joint efforts to combat fentanyl trafficking.
The White House said the President’s Asia visit aims to strengthen alliances, negotiate favourable trade deals, and reaffirm the US commitment to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.
