President Donald Trump is heading to Asia on Friday for his first trip this term to the continent, where he’s expected to try to strike investment deals, work through trade talks and further some peace efforts.

Top economic officials from the U.S. and China kickstarted talks in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday to avert an escalation of their trade war and ensure that a meeting happens next week between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

SINGAPORE: Singapore and China on Saturday (Oct 25) signed and renewed agreements to drive cooperation across several areas, including green development, the digital economy and maritime connectivity. The memoranda of understanding were exchanged on the first day of Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s two-day visit to Singapore.

From Kuala Lumpur to Gyeongju, President Trump is casting himself as a deal-maker and peace negotiator, while a wary region looks for tariff relief and steadier ties.

Nkarta CEO Paul Hastings recently spoke to the importance of the industry's collaborations with Chinese biopharma companies. Asian biopharmas had a large presence at a major cancer conference over the weekend.

By Gregor Stuart Hunter SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Asian stocks fell for a second day on Thursday as lacklustre earnings reports from tech megacap stocks deepened a selloff on Wall Street, while U.S. sanctions against Russia and China revived fears around geopolitics.