PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HEADS TO ASIA, MAKING HIS FIRST VISIT TO THE REGION SINCE THE START OF HIS SECOND TERM.

THE SPOTLIGHT OF THE PRESIDENT'S MULTI-STOP JOURNEY IS LIKELY BE THE LAST STOP - SOUTH KOREA - WHICH IS WHERE TRUMP EXPECTS TO SIT DOWN WITH CHINA'S PRESIDENT XI JINPING.

SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, U.S. President:

"It looks like it's going forward, I think so they want to meet, we like to meet. I have a very good relationship with President Xi and we're going to see what happens."

AT STAKE IS NOTHING LESS THAN THE FUTURE OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY.

SOUNDBITE (English) Scott Bessent, U.S. Treasury Secretary:

"We are going into the negotiations with good intentions, with great respect."

TENSIONS HAVE JUMPED RECENTLY WITH CHINA'S ANNOUNCED RESTRICTIONS ON RARE EARTH MINERAL EXPORTS AND TRUMP'S THREATENED RETALIATION OF MASSIVE TARIFFS.

SOUNDBITE (English) Patricia M. Kim, Fellow, China Center, Brookings Institution:

"There will be a lot of interest on whether the US and China can hammer out some kind of truce and sustainable trade deal."

TRUMP FIRST VISITS MALAYSIA, WHICH IS HOSTING A REGIONAL SOUTH EAST ASIAN SUMMIT, AND HE'LL PRESIDE OVER A PEACE DEAL BETWEEN THAILAND AND CAMBODIA.

SOUNDBITE (English) Patricia M. Kim, Fellow, China Center, Brookings Institution:

"By involving President Trump and blessing this peace deal, it allows the region to keep him invested, to help him burnish his credibility as a peacemaker and they see that as a good thing that the United States is invested in their region."

THEN ONTO JAPAN, WHERE TRUMP IS TRYING TO NAIL DOWN FOREIGN INVESTMENT, BEFORE HEADING TO SOUTH KOREA WHERE HE'S WORKING ON MORE TRADE ISSUES.

SOUNDBITE (English) Donald Trump, U.S. President:

"We made a fair deal with Japan. // We made a fair deal with South Korea. These are countries that were taking so much money away from us. Not sustainable."

SOUNDBITE (English) Patricia M. Kim, Fellow, China Center, Brookings Institution:

"The challenge for these countries, which, really depend on the United States as a security guarantor, especially in a, in a very rough region. The fact that President Trump tends to see these alliances as burdens for the United States. And in that, they want to demonstrate that they have something to give to the US as well, that they are valuable"

THE PRIORITY FOR ASIAN NATIONS DURING THIS TRUMP TOUR IS KEEPING ON THE GOOD SIDE OF THE VISITING AMERICAN PRESIDENT, ESPECIALLY AS MANY ARE STILL HAMMERING OUT THE FINER DETAILS OF THEIR TRADE DEALS.

AP Production Tracy Brown