US President Donald Trump will test his deal-making capabilities on a trip to Asia, a region that his hardline trade policies have battered, as doubts linger over his highly anticipated meeting with China's Xi Jinping.

Trump, who left Washington on Friday night, is set for a five-day trip to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, his first to the region and longest journey abroad since taking office in January.

The Republican leader hopes to lock in trade, critical mineral and ceasefire deals before turning to the toughest challenge - a face-to-face with Xi on Thursday in South Korea.

Trump is also working to maintain the signature foreign policy achievement of his second term, a fragile ceasefire he helped to strike in the Israel-Gaza conflict, while the Russian war in Ukraine rages and a tr

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