Two US Navy aircraft crashed into the South China Sea in separate incidents on Sunday, officials said, with no fatalities reported, President Donald Trump is set to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping aiming to end the bruising trade war.
The first crash involved a MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, which "went down in the waters of the South China Sea while conducting routine operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz," according to a statement from the US Navy's Pacific Fleet.
All three crew members aboard the helicopter were recovered by search and rescue teams, the statement said.
A half-hour later, according to the Navy, a Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet crashed into the South China Sea, also "while conducting routine operations" from the USS Nimitz.
The Navy's statement said both crew members aboard ejected themselves from the vessel and were safely recovered.
"All personnel involved are safe and in stable condition," the US Navy said. "The cause of both incidents is currently under investigation."
The crashes come as US President Donald Trump is in the region, on his first visit to Asia of his second term, and as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth prepares to also begin a multi-country Asian tour.
Earlier this year, two US warplanes fell off the US Navy's Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier while operating in the Middle East.
Trump in Japan ahead of Xi meet
US President Donald Trump headed to Japan on Monday, the second leg of an Asia tour, in advance of a meeting with China's Xi Jinping aiming to end the bruising trade war between the world's largest economies.
Washington and Beijing sounded hopeful notes at the weekend over the chances of sealing a deal, which helped on Monday to push Japan's Nikkei above 50,000 points for the first time.
Trump is expected to land in Tokyo in time for an evening appointment with the Emperor of Japan, before a meeting on Tuesday with the nation's new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi.
The US leader said he had heard "great things about her" and hailed the fact that she was an acolyte of assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe, with whom Trump had close ties.
Takaichi said she told Trump ahead of the meeting that strengthening the Japan-US alliance was her administration's "top priority on the diplomatic and security front".
Japan has escaped the worst of the tariffs Trump slapped on countries around the world to end what he calls unfair trade balances that are "ripping off the United States".
- 'Going to be great ' -
The trip, Trump's first in the region since returning to office, kicked off in Malaysia on Sunday with a flurry of agreements.
That included rewarding neighbours Cambodia and Thailand with trade agreements after co-signing their ceasefire pact, on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Kuala Lumpur.
He also agreed was a trade and minerals deal with Malaysia, and moves to mend fences with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva after months of bad blood.
"I think we'll be able to do some pretty good deals," Trump told the leftist leader.
Trump squeezed in a meeting with Qatar's leaders during a refuelling stop on the way to Malaysia, where they discussed the fragile truce in Gaza.
It was Trump's first visit as president to Kuala Lumpur, where his flight was escorted by two Malaysian F-18 jets, before a red carpet welcome where he gave his trademark arm-waving dance.
The greatest prize for Trump remains a China deal.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and China's Vice Premier He Lifeng had already held two days of trade talks, seeking an agreement to avoid additional 100 percent tariffs due to come into effect on November 1.
China's vice commerce minister, Li Chenggang, said a "preliminary consensus" had been reached.
Bessent told ABC that the extra tariffs had been averted, and signalled a deal on rare earths and American soybean exports had been reached.
"It's going to be great for China, great for us," Trump told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.
- 'Open' to meet -
The highlight of the trip is expected to be South Korea, where Trump will meet Xi for the first time since returning to office.
Trump is due in the southern port city of Busan on Wednesday ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, and will meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.
Global markets will be watching closely to see if the meeting with Xi on Thursday can halt the trade war sparked by Trump's sweeping tariffs, especially after a recent dispute over Beijing's rare earth curbs.
Trump has also added to speculation that he could meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while on the Korean peninsula, saying he was "open to it".
The two leaders last met in 2019 at the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the border area separating the two Koreas.
South Korea's reunification minister has said there is a "considerable" chance that Trump and Kim will meet.
Kim has said he would also be open to meeting the US president if Washington drops its demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear arsenal.
Hegseth on multi-country Asia tour
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will visit four Asian countries in the coming days, the Pentagon announced Sunday, his second tour of the "priority" region where Washington is urging increased spending by allies to counter China.
The Pentagon said in a statement that Hegseth would make stops in Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and South Korea, without specifying exact dates or how long each visit would be.
President Donald Trump and other top US officials are currently in the region attending summits and bilateral talks, with the marquee event being a face-to-face meeting in South Korea between Trump and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday.
A key theme of Hegseth's trip will be "America's focus on the Indo-Pacific, the Department's priority theater," the Pentagon said.
The United States has for years been focused on countering threats from a rising China, particularly by deepening military ties with regional allies, but crises in the Middle East and Europe have repeatedly drawn attention elsewhere.
At the same time Trump and Hegseth are visiting Asia, the US military is also increasing its presence in Latin America as part of a campaign against drug trafficking.
Hegseth, speaking in May at the Shangri-La defence conference in Singapore, warned that China was "credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific."
He urged allies in the region, such as Japan and the Philippines who have territorial disputes with China, to ramp up defence spending.
As part of the Asia tour, Hegseth will stop in Hawaii to meet with leaders of US Indo-Pacific Command.
He will also visit Japan, participate in the ASEAN Defence Ministers' meeting in Malaysia, holds talks in Vietnam, and co-chair a bilateral security meeting in South Korea.
"Under Secretary Hegseth's clear and strong leadership, the Department recognizes the importance of the focus on the Indo-Pacific and the need to ensure peace through strength together with our allies and partners," the statement said.