Trump Attends Ceasefire Ceremony With Thailand And Cambodia During Malaysia Visit

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Thailand and Cambodia signed an extended ceasefire agreement on Sunday during a ceremony attended by US President Donald Trump. Trump’s threats of economic pressure encouraged the two countries to halt hostilities along their disputed border earlier this year. Under the first phase of the agreement, Thailand will release Cambodian prisoners and Cambodia will begin to withdraw its heavy weapons. Regional observers will monitor the situation to ensure hostilities do not restart.

“We did something that many people said couldn’t be done,” Trump said. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet called it a “historic day” and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the agreement created the “building blocks of a lasting peace”.

The ceremony was Trump’s first event since arriving at the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Kuala Lumpur. The trip, which will be followed by visits to Japan and South Korea and a possible meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, is an opportunity for Trump to burnish his reputation as an international dealmaker at a time when tariffs have roiled the international economy and he is feuding with Democrats over a government shutdown at home.

Trump touched down in Malaysia’s capital shortly before 2 a.m. ET, where he performed his trademark campaign dance with local performers and waved an American flag in one hand and a Malaysian flag in the other.

The president signed economic agreements with Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia aimed at increasing trade, some of which include critical minerals. The United States wants to rely less on China, whose exports of key components in technology production are limited.

“It’s critical that we collaborate with each other as willing partners to ensure that we can have seamless supply chains, secure supply chains for the quality of life, for our people, for our security,” said U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

Trump also appeared eager to ease trade tensions with China and repeatedly expressed confidence in sitting down with Xi in South Korea at the end of his visit.

“They want to make a deal, we want to make a deal,” he said. Trump reiterated his plan to visit China in the future and suggested Xi could come to Washington or to his private club Mar-a-Lago in Florida.

Trump is reconnecting with a key part of the world

The president has attended this summit only once in his first term, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared unfamiliar with ASEAN during his confirmation hearing in January.

But this year’s event was a chance for Trump to reconnect with a group of countries with a combined economy of $3.8 trillion and 680 million people.

“The United States is with you 100 percent, and we aim to be a strong partner and friend for generations to come,” Trump said. He described his counterparts as “magnificent leaders” and said “everything you touch turns to gold”.

The summit also allowed Trump to play global peacemaker with Thailand and Cambodia, which have rival territorial claims along their borders that have led to periodic violence. Some of the worst modern conflict between the two countries took place over five days in July, killing dozens and displacing hundreds of thousands of people; some of the worst modern conflicts between two countries.

At the time, Trump threatened to suspend trade deals unless the fighting stopped, in a show of economic pressure to encourage negotiations. A shaky ceasefire has continued ever since.

“Trump holding the tariff card was actually very, very meaningful,” said Ou Virak, president of Phnom Penh’s Future Forum think tank. “This is probably the main reason, if not the only reason, but certainly the main reason why the two sides should agree to an immediate ceasefire.”

Now, he said, “there’s a ceremony for Trump to be in front of the cameras” so that he “can be seen as the champion of ending wars and conflicts” and give him “more ammunition for his Nobel Peace Prize bid.”

Trump openly campaigned for the honor, constantly adding to the list of conflicts he helped resolve or claimed to have ended.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim praised the agreement between Thailand and Cambodia in his opening speech of the summit and said, “This reminds us that reconciliation is not a compromise, but an act of courage.”

Thai foreign ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura on Saturday described the agreement as a “joint declaration” that would show Thailand and Cambodia “are committed to renewing their relationship.”

“This is not an end in itself,” Nikorndej said. “The work has just begun.”

Tariffs focus on Trump’s trip

Trump met with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who attended the summit, in Kuala Lumpur. There was friction between the two leaders in Brazil due to the trial of the country’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro, who is close to Trump. Bolsonaro was found guilty of attempting a coup in his country earlier this week.

In his meeting with Lula on Sunday, Trump said he could reduce the tariffs he imposed on Brazil in order to show tolerance for Bolsonaro.

“I think we should be able to make good deals for both countries,” he said.

While Trump warmed to Lula, he stayed away from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The president, who was angry at Canada for a television commercial protesting its trade policies, announced on social media on the way to the summit that he would increase customs duties against Canada for this reason.

Trump expressed confidence that agreements would be reached during the remainder of his trip, including to China. Fentanyl trafficking and soybean sales are among Trump’s priorities.

“I think we have a really good chance of getting a very comprehensive deal,” Trump said.

Time will tell whether Trump reaching a deal will solve long-standing problems or postpone them for another day.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested on Sunday that Washington and Beijing could step back from the conflict, rather than impose higher American tariffs and Chinese export restrictions on rare earths.

“I would say yes,” Bessent said when asked if the two countries could extend their trade truce from earlier this year. However, he emphasized that the final decision will belong to Trump.

One of the leaders who did not attend the summit in Kuala Lumpur was Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Although he was close with Trump during his first term, relations have become more tense recently. Trump caused discomfort by boasting that he had resolved a recent dispute between India and Pakistan and increased tariffs on India in exchange for buying oil from Russia.