Trump attends ceasefire ceremony with Thailand and Cambodia during Malaysia visit : NPR

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump, right, watch as Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, second left, and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet hold up a document after the signing ceremony for a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Nations Summit Southeast Asia (ASEAN) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sunday. October 26, 2025.

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Thailand and Cambodia signed an expanded ceasefire agreement Sunday in a ceremony attended by U.S. President Donald Trump, whose threats of economic pressure prompted the two countries to end skirmishes along their disputed border earlier this year.

Thailand will release Cambodian prisoners and Cambodia will begin withdrawing its heavy artillery under the first phase of the deal. Regional observers will monitor the situation to ensure fighting does not resume.

“We did something that a lot of people said was impossible,” 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 for lasting peace”.

The ceremony was Trump’s first event since arriving at the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Kuala Lumpur. The trip, which will continue with 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 negotiator at a time when his tariffs have weakened the international economy and when he is in conflict with Democrats over a government shutdown in his country.

Trump landed in the Malaysian capital shortly before 0200 GMT, where he performed his 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, some of them aimed at increasing trade in essential minerals. The United States wants to rely less on China, whose exports of key components in technology manufacturing are limited.

“It is very important that we cooperate as willing partners with each other to ensure that we can have smooth and secure supply chains, for quality of life, for our people and for security,” said U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

Trump reconnects with a key region of the world

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

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

“The United States stands with you 100 percent 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 the role of 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, one of the worst modern fighting between the two countries.

Trump threatened at the time to suspend trade deals unless the fighting stopped, demonstrating the economic leverage that would have spurred negotiations. Since then, a fragile truce has persisted.

“The fact that Trump held the tariff card was actually very, very significant,” said Ou Virak, president of the Future Forum think tank in Phnom Penh. “This is probably the main reason, if not the only one, but certainly the main reason why both sides immediately agreed to the ceasefire.”

Now, he said, “there is a ceremony for Trump to be in front of the cameras” so he can be “seen as the champion who ends wars and conflicts,” giving him “more ammunition for his Nobel Peace Prize bid.”

Trump has explicitly campaigned for the honor, continually adding to a list of conflicts he has helped resolve or claims to have ended.

U.S. President Donald Trump attends the signing ceremony of a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia on the sidelines of the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Sunday, October 26, 2025.

Mohd Rasfan/POOL AFP/AP

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Mohd Rasfan/POOL AFP/AP

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim welcomed the agreement between Thailand and Cambodia during his opening speech at the summit, saying: “It reminds us that reconciliation is not a concession, but an act of courage.”

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura on Saturday described the agreement as a “joint declaration” that will show that Thailand and Cambodia “are committed to renewing their relations.”

“It’s not an end in itself,” Nikorndej said. “The work has just started.”

Tariffs at the center of Trump’s trip

Trump is expected to sit down with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during his stay in Kuala Lumpur, but not with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The U.S. leader is angry with Canada over a TV ad protesting its tariffs and, on his way to the summit, announced on social media that he would raise tariffs on Canada because of it.

Another trade war is at the center of Trump’s trip – this one, with China. Trump told reporters traveling with him on Air Force One that he was optimistic his meeting with Xi, expected to take place in South Korea, could produce progress on a range of issues. Fentanyl trafficking and the sale of soy are among Trump’s priorities.

“I think we have a very good chance of reaching a very comprehensive agreement,” Trump said. “I want our farmers to be taken care of. And he wants things too.”

It remains to be seen whether the deal Trump struck will resolve long-standing problems or postpone them for another day.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested on Sunday that Washington and Beijing could end their confrontation instead of imposing higher tariffs on the United States and restrictions on China’s export of rare earth elements.

Asked if the two countries could extend the trade truce from earlier this year, Bessent said: “I would say yes.” However, he stressed that the final decision would be up to Trump.

Trump expressed confidence in the prospect of finalizing trade deals with Japan and South Korea, two longtime allies and trading partners, during his trip.

“We have deals with a lot of people and they are very good deals,” he told reporters traveling with him aboard Air Force One.

One of the leaders absent from the Kuala Lumpur summit is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Although he was close to Trump during his first term, the relationship has become more strained in recent times. Trump sparked irritation by boasting about resolving a recent dispute between India and Pakistan and by raising tariffs on India on its purchases of Russian oil.