WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that he will soon travel to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, while saying he also wants "to be good to China" and anticipates a "fantastic deal" for both countries.

Despite renewed trade tensions between the United States and China, Trump again struck an optimistic tone ahead of a possible meeting next week with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.

"We're going to have a fair deal. I want to be good to China. I love my relationship with President Xi," Trump said at the White House during a lengthy exchange with reporters as he met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

"We thought that would be a good place to meet, and we're going to be meeting. I'll be in Malaysia, I'll be in Japan," Trump said.

Trump has repeatedly said he is scheduled to hold one-on-one talks with Xi when both travel to South Korea for an Asia-Pacific economic summit in late October.

But it is the first time Trump has publicly mentioned his plans to visit Malaysia and Japan as well. He did not elaborate further.

Japanese government sources have said that Trump is expected to make a three-day visit to Japan from Oct. 27 after traveling to Malaysia for a separate regional conference involving Southeast Asian countries and their partners.

During his stay in Tokyo, Trump is almost certain to call on Japan to increase its investment in the United States and play a bigger role in maintaining the security of the Indo-Pacific region.

To demonstrate the strength of the decades-old U.S.-Japan alliance, Trump's schedule will likely include inspecting a U.S. naval base near the Japanese capital as well as meeting with Emperor Naruhito and the country's presumptive new and first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, according to the sources.

After his Japan visit, Trump will travel to South Korea, the sources said.

The upcoming Asia trip will be his first to the region since his nonconsecutive second term began in January.

The Chinese government has yet to announce anything about Xi's potential meeting with Trump.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Friday that he and China's Vice Premier He Lifeng are likely to meet in Malaysia this coming weekend as part of efforts to set the stage for talks between the two presidents.

On Monday, Trump said he wants China to thrive, but the relationship between the world's two largest economies must be a "two-way street."

Trump said China should buy soybeans from the United States as the Asian power did before their trade war escalated earlier this year.

"I'm meeting with a lot of other countries, but this seems to be the one that people are very interested in," Trump said. "I think when we finish our meetings in South Korea, China and I will have a really fair and really great trade deal together."

Trump reiterated that he has been invited to visit China, and he plans to do that "sometime fairly early next year."

"I think we're going to end up having a fantastic deal with China. It's going to be a great trade deal. It's going to be fantastic for both countries, and it's going to be fantastic for the entire world," he said.

Trump says he will travel to Malaysia, Japan, South Korea