Kuala Lumpur: US President Donald Trump attended the signing ceremony of an expanded ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the first stop on his Asia tour which could include talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
According to United Nations, Thailand and Cambodia signed an expanded ceasefire agreement during a ceremony attended by Trump, whose threats of economic pressure prodded the two nations to halt skirmishes along their disputed border earlier this year. As part of the first phase of the deal, Thailand will release Cambodian prisoners and Cambodia will begin withdrawing heavy artillery. Regional observers will monitor the situation to ensure fighting does not restart.
Trump is expected to sign agreements with Malaysia involving trade and critical minerals later in the day. The US has been working to expand its supply chains to rely less on China, which has limited exports of key components in technology manufacturing. The president attended this summit only once during his first term, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth seemed unfamiliar with ASEAN during his confirmation hearing in January. However, this year’s event offered a fresh opportunity for Trump to play global peacemaker.
Thailand and Cambodia engaged in five days of fighting in July, resulting in dozens of deaths and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, marking some of the worst modern fighting between the two countries. Competing territorial claims have led to periodic violence along their border. Trump’s threat to withhold trade agreements unless the fighting stopped is credited with spurring negotiations, leading to a shaky truce since then.
After the expanded ceasefire agreement was signed, Trump inked separate economic deals with Cambodia and Thailand. Ou Virak, president of Phnom Penh’s Future Forum think tank, noted that Trump’s economic leverage was significant in bringing both sides to agree to the ceasefire. Trump has been campaigning for a Nobel Peace Prize, continuously adding to a list of conflicts he helped resolve or claims to have ended.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim praised the agreement during opening remarks at the summit, emphasizing that reconciliation is an act of courage. Thai foreign ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura described the deal as a joint declaration showing Thailand and Cambodia’s commitment to renewing relations.
Trump is also expected to meet Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Kuala Lumpur. However, he will not meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney due to tensions over a Canadian television ad protesting his tariffs. Trump announced plans to hike tariffs on Canada because of the ad.
Another trade war is at the forefront of Trump’s trip, this time with China. He expressed optimism about his upcoming meeting with Xi, which is expected to take place in South Korea, and hopes it could yield progress on issues like fentanyl trafficking and soybean sales. Trump expressed confidence about finalizing trade agreements with Japan and South Korea, two key allies and trading partners, during the trip.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be absent from the summit. Although he was close with Trump during his first term, their relationship has become tense. Trump’s boasting about settling a conflict between India and Pakistan and his increased tariffs on India for purchasing Russian oil have caused irritation.