Trump is making deals and looking forward to an agreement with China during his Asian tour.

U.S. President Donald Trump headed to Japan today, Monday, the second stop of his Asian tour, ahead of his anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, from whom he hopes to put an end to the trade war between the world's two largest economies.

After arriving in Tokyo, Trump is expected to meet with Emperor Naruhito of Japan in the evening, before his meeting on Tuesday with the new Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

The U.S. president stated that he has heard "great things" about Takaichi and praised her for being close to former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated and with whom she had close ties.

Takaichi announced that she informed Trump—in a phone call on Saturday—that "strengthening the alliance between Japan and the United States is my administration's top priority on both diplomatic and security fronts."

Japan has managed to avoid the highest tariffs imposed by Trump on countries around the world to end what he described as trade imbalances that allow for the "looting of the United States."

While Trump has already secured a commitment for $550 billion in investments from Japan in exchange for tariff relief, the Japanese Prime Minister hopes to further persuade Trump with promises to purchase American trucks, soybeans, and gas.

Trump began his Asian tour yesterday from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, where the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia was at the top of his agenda on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit.

Trump described the truce, which he helped mediate after the most intense clashes between the two neighbors in decades, as a "big step," adding that he also reached a "big trade deal with Cambodia and a very important agreement on rare minerals with Thailand."

Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim signed a trade agreement that enhances U.S. access to rare minerals.

Under the agreement, Kuala Lumpur pledged "to refrain from banning or imposing quotas on exports of critical minerals to the United States," while Washington agreed to impose a 19% tariff on Malaysian goods.

Malaysia also committed to accelerating the development of the rare minerals sector in cooperation with American companies.

Trump met in Kuala Lumpur with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, amid improved relations between them recently after months of tension.

Trump told Lula, "I think we will be able to reach some good deals."

South Korea is expected to be the highlight of Trump's Asian tour, where he will meet the Chinese president for the first time since returning to the White House.

Trump is scheduled to arrive in the southern coastal city of Busan on Wednesday before the APEC summit, where he will meet South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.

Trump expressed great confidence in reaching an agreement to end trade tensions between the world's two largest economies, telling reporters in Kuala Lumpur, "I think we will reach an agreement," after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Pruitt and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He concluded two days of meetings.

For its part, China confirmed that it has reached a "preliminary consensus" with the United States to resolve their trade disputes.

Global markets are awaiting developments on Thursday to see if the meeting with Xi can halt the trade war ignited by Trump's sweeping tariffs, especially after the recent dispute over the restrictions imposed by Beijing on rare mineral exports.

On another note, the U.S. president expressed "openness" before leaving Washington to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in South Korea, which would set a precedent since their last meeting in 2019.

The South Korean Minister of Unification stated that there is a "great" opportunity for a meeting between Trump and Kim.

The two leaders last met during Trump's first term in the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas.

Kim also expressed his openness to meeting the U.S. president if Washington retracts its demand for Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear arsenal.