US President Donald Trump has confirmed that his upcoming Asia tour will include stops in Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea, with regional trade, security, and diplomacy topping the agenda.
The trip begins in Kuala Lumpur on October 26, where Trump will attend the ASEAN Summit for the first time since 2017, during his first presidential term. He will then travel to Japan from October 27–29 and to South Korea from October 29–30 for the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting.
The visit comes as Asia faces economic turbulence from US tariff measures. Analysts expect the summits to address trade agreements, regional security, scam operations, and peace talks between Thailand and Cambodia, where the US has recently taken a mediating role.
Trade spotlight: ASEAN exports surge, US deficit widens
According to Nikkei Asia, one major topic at the ASEAN Summit will be trade imbalances. ASEAN exports to the US have more than doubled in the past decade — rising from US$142 billion in 2017 to US$312 billion in 2024, overtaking China’s US$291 billion.
Southeast Asia has become integral to US supply chains, especially in electronics. For instance, Malaysia, home to major US chip manufacturers like Micron Technology, exported around US$10 billion in semiconductors to the US last year — about 20% of total US chip imports.
The IMF reports that the US trade deficit with ASEAN tripled from US$50 billion in 2017 to US$169 billion in 2024, led by Vietnam (US$104 billion) and Thailand (US$35 billion). Only Singapore and Laos recorded surpluses with the US.
In response, Washington’s new tariffs — 10% to 40% on certain imports — have hit Vietnam’s exports hardest, with textile shipments down 20% and phone exports down 24% in September.
AloJapan.com