Following border disputes last year, Thailand and Cambodia have signed a ceasefire agreement presided by US president Donald Trump, who has called the event ‘historic.’
Thailand will release Cambodian prisoners and Cambodia will begin withdrawing heavy artillery as part of the first phase of the deal. Regional observers will monitor the situation to ensure fighting doesn’t restart.
“We did something that a lot of 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 creates “the building blocks for a lasting peace.”
The ceremony was Trump’s first event after arriving at the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, hosted in Kuala Lumpur. The trip, which will continue with visits to Japan and South Korea and a potential meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, is an opportunity for Trump to burnish his reputation as an international dealmaker at a time when his tariffs have scrambled the international economy and he’s feuding with Democrats over a government shutdown back home.
Trump touched down in the Malaysian capital shortly before 0200 GMT, where he performed his trademark campaign trail 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, some of them aimed at increasing trade involving critical minerals. The US wants to rely less on China, which has limited exports of key components in technology manufacturing.
“It’s very important that we cooperate as willing partners with each other to ensure that we can have smooth supply chains, secure supply chains, for the quality of life, for our people and security,” said US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Trump reengages with a key region of the world
The president attended this summit only once during his first term, and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth seemed unfamiliar with ASEAN during his confirmation hearing in January.
But this year’s event was a chance for Trump to reengage with a collection of nations that has a combined $3.8 trillion economy and 680 million people.
“The United States is with you 100%, and we intend to be a strong partner and friend for many generations to come,” Trump said. He described his counterparts as “spectacular leaders” and said, “everything you touch turns to gold.”
The summit also allowed Trump to play global peacemaker with Thailand and Cambodia, which have competing territorial claims that result in periodic violence along their border. Some of the worst modern fighting 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 fighting between the two countries.
Trump threatened, at the time, to withhold trade agreements unless the fighting stopped in a display of economic leverage credited with spurring negotiations. A shaky truce has persisted since then.
“The fact that Trump was holding the tariff card was actually very, very significant,” said Ou Virak, president of Phnom Penh’s Future Forum think tank. “That’s probably the main reason, if not the only reason, but definitely the main reason why the two sides agreed immediately to the ceasefire.”
Now, he said, “there’s a ceremony for Trump to be in front of cameras” so he can be “seen as the champion that brings an end to wars and conflicts,” giving him ”more ammunition for his bid for Nobel Peace Prize.”
Trump has explicitly campaigned for the honour, continuously adding to a list of conflicts that he either helped resolve or claims to have ended.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim praised the agreement between Thailand and Cambodia during opening remarks at the summit, saying, “it reminds us that reconciliation is not concession, but an act of courage.”
Thai foreign ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura described the deal on Saturday as a “joint declaration” that will show Thailand and Cambodia “are committed to renewing their relations.”
“It’s not an end in itself,” Nikorndej said. “Work has just begun.”
Tariffs are in focus on Trump’s trip
Trump is expected to sit down with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva while he’s in Kuala Lumpur, but not Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The U.S. leader is angry with Canada because of a television ad protesting his tariffs, and on his way to the summit, announced on social media he would hike tariffs on Canada because of it.
Another trade war is front and centre on Trump’s trip — this one, with China. Trump told reporters travelling with him on Air Force One that he was optimistic his meeting with Xi, expected to take place in South Korea, could yield progress on a range of issues. Fentanyl trafficking and soybean sales are among Trump’s priorities.
“I think we have a really good chance of making a very comprehensive deal,” Trump said. “I want our farmers to be taken care of. And he wants things also.”
It remains to be seen whether Trump’s dealmaking addresses longstanding issues or puts them off for another day.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested Sunday that Washington and Beijing could step back from their confrontation instead of pushing forward with higher tariffs by America and export restrictions on rare earth elements by China.
When asked if the two countries could extend the trade truce from earlier this year, Bessent said: “I would say yes.” However, he emphasized that the final decision would be up to Trump.
Trump has expressed confidence about the prospect of finalizing trade agreements with Japan and South Korea, two longstanding allies and trading partners, during the trip.
“We have deals with a lot of people and they’re very good deals,” he told reporters travelling with him on Air Force One.
One leader who was absent from the summit in Kuala Lumpur is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Although he was close with Trump during his first term, the relationship has been more tense lately. Trump caused irritation by boasting that he settled a recent conflict between India and Pakistan, and he has increased tariffs on India for its purchase of Russian oil.
