Trump Hosts Abe With North Korea, Trade Topping Agenda

Donald Trump hosts his golfing buddy Shinzo Abe at his Mar-a-Lago resort Tuesday, with both leaders eager to iron out differences on trade and display a united front on North Korea as the US president prepares to meet Kim Jong Un.

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Apr, 2018 ) :Donald Trump hosts his golfing buddy Shinzo Abe at his Mar-a-Lago resort Tuesday, with both leaders eager to iron out differences on trade and display a united front on North Korea as the US president prepares to meet Kim Jong Un.

Japan's prime minister is making his second visit to Trump's ostentatious Palm Beach, Florida retreat for a one-on-one meeting, followed by a broader meeting with aides, followed by photos and a sit down dinner with Melania Trump and Akie Abe.

"Looking forward to my meeting with Prime Minister Abe of Japan. Working on Trade and Military Security," Trump tweeted early Tuesday. The two leaders have a chunk of time free Wednesday in case they fancy a quick 18 holes.

Last year, Trump and Abe traded fist bumps and high fives as they snuck in a round of golf in Palm Beach and a return leg near Tokyo, tucking into burgers with ketchup for good measure. "This is a very important meeting a lot of really key issues are on the line," said Larry Kudlow, Trump's top economic advisor.

"Mr Abe is a friend of President Trump's, I think the general setting is going to be very positive." But with Abe's approval rating languishing at its lowest level in years and Trump mired in controversies and crises too numerous to list, both are under pressure.

"Long-distance relationships are complicated, and the stakes of their second rendezvous at Mar-a-Lago this week are high," said Mireya Solis of the Brookings Institution. Trump's decision to hold an improbable summit with North Korea's Kim this May or June was announced without consulting Abe.

And worse, it was announced by a South Korean official. Since then Tokyo officials have watched in horror as China and South Korea -- an ally, but an uneasy one -- take on a more direct hand in influencing the outcome of a nuclear crisis that places Japan's very existence in question.

Pyongyang has lobbed test-missiles over the sea of Japan, triggering public warning alerts. The abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea remains a high profile domestic issue.