Trump meets Qatari Emir and PM on his way to Asia

US President Donald Trump met on Saturday with the emir and prime minister of Qatar - a key ally in preserving the fragile Gaza peace deal - during a refuelling stop on his way to Asia.

The Qatari leaders boarded Air Force One when it landed at Al Udeid Air Base, which hosts the regional headquarters for the US military and thousands of American troops.

Trump said the duo had played a crucial role in the Middle East peace process, adding that Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had been his "friend to the world."

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, fresh off a trip to Israel as part of an all-out diplomatic push by Washington to keep the Gaza truce on track, was present for the meeting with Qatar's leaders.

The leaders did not take questions before pool reporters were ushered out.

Qatar has played a key mediating role in indirect talks between Israel and Hamas since the outbreak of the war, and is among the guarantors of the fragile peace deal, along with Egypt, the United States and Turkey.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani hosted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan this week to discuss the highly sensitive next steps in the deal, including the establishment of a security force in Gaza and the fate of Hamas.

Rubio said US officials are getting input on a possible UN resolution or international agreement to authorise a multinational force in Gaza and will discuss the issue in Qatar on Sunday.

Trump headed on Saturday for Asia and high-stakes trade talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, saying that he would also like to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on his trip.

Trump is set to meet Xi in South Korea on the last day of his regional swing in a bid to seal a deal to end the bruising trade war between the world's two biggest economies.

He will also visit Malaysia and Japan on his first trip to Asia since he returned to the White House in January in a blaze of tariffs and international dealmaking.

Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he hoped for a "very good meeting" with Xi, adding that he expected China to make a deal to avoid further 100 per cent tariffs that are due to come into effect on Nov.1.

As he left Washington, Trump added to speculation that he could meet Kim for the first time since 2019 while on the Korean peninsula.

"I'm open to it," Trump said aboard the presidential plane. "I had a great relationship with him."

Agencies