President Donald Trump concluded a brief visit to Malaysia on Sunday, presiding over the signing of a ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia and announcing new trade agreements with Southeast Asian nations. The stop marked the beginning of a week-long Asia tour that will include Japan and South Korea, where he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
At the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Trump joined leaders from Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia in formalizing a truce to end renewed border clashes that erupted in July. The agreement, referred to in reports as the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords, calls for Thailand to release 18 Cambodian soldiers and for both nations to remove heavy weapons from disputed areas. Malaysian forces are to monitor compliance along the roughly 800-kilometer border.
“We did something that a lot of people said couldn’t be done,” Trump declared at the ceremony. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet described the day as “historic,” while Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the pact created “the building blocks for a lasting peace.”
On the sidelines of the summit, the United States signed trade agreements with Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia, and announced framework deals with Vietnam. The arrangements commit the four countries to reducing barriers on U.S. exports, particularly in agriculture, while allowing limited tariff exemptions for some regional goods. Malaysia also pledged up to $70 billion in new capital investments in the United States and agreed not to restrict exports of critical minerals or rare earth elements.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized that the agreements form part of Washington’s broader effort to stabilize trade while reducing reliance on China. “The president had given me maximum leverage when he threatened a hundred percent tariffs,” Bessent explained, noting that the threat had now been “effectively off the table.”
Trump’s next stops include Tokyo, where he will meet Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, and Seoul, where he is scheduled to hold a high-stakes meeting with Xi to advance a potential U.S.–China trade deal. Officials from both nations have described discussions as constructive, reporting a “preliminary consensus” on key trade issues.
