Trump oversees Thailand-Cambodia ceasefire signing as Asia tour gets under way | US foreign policy
The leaders of Thailand and Cambodia signed a strengthened ceasefire agreement on Sunday in the presence of Donald Trump, which in July helped end their deadly five-day border conflict.
The US president watched as Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed the expanded ceasefire at the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Malaysia, shortly after Trump’s arrival.
The agreement calls for Thailand to release 18 detained Cambodian soldiers and for both sides to begin removing heavy weapons from the border area.
It builds on a truce reached three months ago after Trump called the two countries’ then-leaders and urged them to end hostilities or risk suspending their respective trade negotiations with Washington.
After the ceasefire ceremony, Trump signed a reciprocal trade agreement with Cambodia and a US agreement with Thailand on essential minerals. A White House official said Trump would also sign a critical minerals deal with Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.
Trump began a five-day trip to Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, his first visit to the region since taking office in January. He is expected to participate in high-stakes trade talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the last day of his trip.
Trump’s arrival in Malaysia came shortly after he announced Saturday that he would increase U.S. tariffs on Canada by 10% in retaliation for an anti-tariff ad sponsored by the Ontario government, which further strained one of the world’s largest trading partnerships.
Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will both attend the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, but Trump told reporters traveling with him that he had no plans to meet with Carney there.
With Reuters and Associated Press
