Overview
- White House officials say Trump will meet China’s Xi Jinping in South Korea next Thursday during the APEC week after stops in Malaysia and Japan.
- Despite public urging from Seoul’s unification minister and on-the-ground signs at Panmunjom, a senior U.S. official says no Trump–Kim meeting is planned, though “things can change.”
- Seoul and Washington remain stuck over the cash share and pacing of South Korea’s $350 billion U.S. investment pledge, casting doubt on an APEC joint announcement that pairs trade and security deals.
- North Korea launched multiple ballistic missiles days before the trip; U.S. Indo-Pacific Command condemned the tests and assessed no immediate threat to U.S. personnel or allies.
- Trump’s itinerary includes ASEAN meetings in Malaysia, talks with Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a session with South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung, and keynote remarks to APEC business leaders.