5 notable points during Mr. Trump’s Asia trip

US President Donald Trump.

US President Donald Trump visited Hawaii on November 3 before making a visit to five Asian countries lasting until November 14, visiting Japan, Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Korean Crisis

North Korea will be the most pressing problem because the country is getting closer to possessing nuclear-tipped missiles capable of reaching the continental United States.

Trump’s goal is to convince Seoul and Beijing to support his plan to pressure Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambitions.

Commerce

Reducing America’s trade imbalance with major  Asian economies is Trump’s top priority.

Therefore, he is likely to ask Japan to open its market to American beef and cars.

In China, Mr. Trump can reach trade deals worth billions of dollars.

`China seeks to use trade deal signing ceremonies to reduce US pressure on China to expand its market for US goods and reform its economic structure,` said Ryan Hass, analyst.

US President Trump’s Asia tour schedule.

Tensions with China

During his talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, Mr. Trump will discuss topics such as North Korea, the South China Sea issue and the painkiller abuse crisis that causes 150 deaths a day in the US.

`Mr. Xi’s goal is for Mr. Trump to leave Beijing with the satisfaction that he was received respectfully,` said analyst Ryan Hass.

`Mr. Xi will welcome Mr. Trump’s state visit from a position of strength after having just consolidated power at the Chinese Communist Party congress,` Hass said.

The US believes that Chinese-made opioid painkillers are flooding the US market, contributing to worsening painkiller abuse in the US.

Contrary to US thinking, Wei Xiaojun, Deputy Secretary General of China’s National Drug Control Commission, on November 3 emphasized that there is no sufficient evidence to say that the majority of opioid painkillers in the US come from

Trump – Abe friendship

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has a close relationship with Mr. Trump.

During his visit to the US in February, Mr. Abe was taken by Mr. Trump to play golf in Florida and Mr. Abe also invited Mr. Trump to play golf near Tokyo on November 5.

However, some experts believe that Mr. Abe needs to take on a leadership role in the region instead of being a `deputy` to Mr. Trump.

`By promoting a TPP without the US, Mr. Abe’s administration is on the right track. Japan needs to do more,` said Robert Dujarric, director of the Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies at Temple University, Tokyo.

America’s presence in Asia

According to the White House, part of Trump’s mission on this trip is to reaffirm America’s leadership role in efforts to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

Rana Mitter, professor of modern Chinese history and politics at Oxford University, said that Mr. Trump’s speech at APEC will be carefully analyzed to see whether he made a clear and coherent statement.

In recent days, information that the US President did not attend the East Asia Summit in the Philippines on November 14 has raised doubts about his commitment to Asia.

`This change of heart shows us something very important: Mr. Trump is placing a high priority on Asia,` Ernest Bower, senior advisor of the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies