Abe, Trump to discuss cooperation on N. Korea in Florida meeting

April 14, 2018

Washington- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump will discuss bilateral cooperation in dealing with North Korea when they meet in Florida next week, a senior US administration official said Friday.

The talks come as Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are expected to meet in May or early June.

The administration official said Trump wants to hear advice from Abe about the summit with Kim. Trump "has a great deal of respect for Prime Minister Abe's views on Northeast Asian security," the official said.

Abe plans to ask Trump to discuss the issue of North Korea's abductions of Japanese citizens at the summit with Kim.

Referring to South Korean abduction victims and American citizens detained in North Korea as well as Japanese abductees, the official said those who are held unlawfully there are "at the forefront" of Trump's mind.

On the economic front, Abe and Trump are expected to discuss steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by the United States.

The official stopped short of mentioning whether the two leaders will discuss Washington's possible return to the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact. On Thursday, Trump ordered officials to examine the possibility of the United States rejoining the treaty.

Abe and Trump are also expected to discuss freedom of navigation in the South China Sea in response to Beijing's maritime expansion.

Abe and Trump will have a one-on-one meeting on Tuesday, which will be later joined by aides. The leaders will have a dinner with their wives that night.

On Wednesday, the two leaders will have broader discussions and hold a joint news conference. Unlike during last year's Florida visit by Abe for talks with Trump, they are not scheduled to play golf, the official said. Jiji Press