Trump meets the Emir of Qatar aboard his presidential plane en route to Malaysia

A White House official reported on Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, and the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, aboard the presidential plane during a stop for refueling in Qatar, on his way to Malaysia to attend a regional summit. He is accompanied by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Important meetings on the agenda of the Asian tour

The White House clarified that the tour includes Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea, culminating in a much-anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, which Trump described as "very important for the global economy," and is expected to result in an agreement to avoid imposing a 100% tariff that was scheduled to take effect on November 1.

Trump also expressed his openness to meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, during his first tour of the region since returning to power last January, telling reporters: "If you want to talk, I’m open to that, I had a great relationship with him."



Trump noted that North Korea possesses "a lot of nuclear weapons" but described it as "somewhat of a nuclear power," in response to reporters' inquiries about Washington recognizing it as a nuclear power as a condition for dialogue.