U.S. President Donald Trump began his Asian tour in Malaysia with key diplomatic and trade actions.
At the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, he witnessed the signing of an expanded ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, which he played a major role in negotiating after July’s deadly border clashes.
This new agreement, which includes prisoner releases and peacekeeping oversight from Malaysia, aims to stabilise the contested border region.
“My administration immediately began working to prevent the conflict from escalating. Everybody was sort of amazed that we got it done so quickly,” Trump said.
Trump also announced several trade agreements with Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam focused on securing access to critical minerals and rare earth elements essential to technology manufacturing.
Malaysia agreed to refrain from export bans or quotas on these minerals to the U.S., while Cambodia and Thailand committed to reducing tariffs on American goods. Although standard tariffs remain (19% for Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia; 20% for Vietnam), some products will see tariff eliminations under new frameworks.
U.S. Ambassador Jamieson Greer described the agreements as steps that expand economic opportunities for American workers.
Simultaneously, U.S. and Chinese trade officials made progress in negotiations that aim to de-escalate their trade war, agreeing on a preliminary framework ahead of a planned Trump-Xi summit in South Korea.
Trump expressed confidence, saying, “I think we’re going to have a deal with China.” This comes amid looming U.S. tariff hikes on Chinese imports scheduled for November 1, triggered by China’s tightened controls on rare earth exports.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva committed to efforts to reduce the U.S.’s 50% tariffs on Brazilian products and promised prompt negotiations. However, talks with Canada stalled, with Trump announcing plans to raise tariffs on Canadian goods by an additional 10%.
The summit also saw East Timor, or Timor-Leste, join ASEAN as its 11th member after a 14-year process. The small, developing nation, which gained independence in 2002, hopes to boost its economy through ASEAN integration. Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao called the accession “not only a dream realised, but a powerful affirmation of our journey.”