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

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Thailand and Cambodia signed an expanded ceasefire on Sunday during 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 heavy artillery as part of the first phase of the agreement. Regional observers will monitor the situation to prevent a resumption of hostilities.

“We did what many thought was impossible,” Trump said. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Mane called it a “historic day” and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the agreement creates “the building blocks for lasting peace.”

The ceremony was Trump's first event since arriving at the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Kuala Lumpur. The trip, which will continue with visits to Japan and South Korea and a potential meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, gives Trump an opportunity to burnish his reputation as an international mediator at a time when his tariffs have rocked the international economy and he feuds with Democrats over government shutdowns at home.

Trump touched down in the Malaysian capital shortly before 0200 GMT, where he performed his signature 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 aimed at increasing trade in critical minerals. The US wants to rely less on China, which has restricted exports of key technology components.

“It is critical that we work with each other as willing partners to ensure that we can have uninterrupted and secure supply chains for quality of life, for our people and for safety,” said U.S. Trade Representative Jamison Greer.

Trump renews engagement with key world region

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

But this year's event was a chance for Trump to reengage with a group of countries that have a combined economy of $3.8 trillion and a population of 680 million.

“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 called his colleagues “extraordinary 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 have led to 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 from their homes. This is some of the most brutal modern fighting between the two countries.

At the time, Trump threatened to suspend trade agreements if the fighting did not stop, demonstrating economic leverage to spur negotiations. An uneasy truce has remained in place ever since.

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

Now, he said, “there is a ceremony in which Trump will appear in front of the cameras” to be “seen as the fighter who ended wars and conflicts,” giving him “more ammunition for his bid for the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Trump has openly competed for that honor, continually adding to the list of conflicts he has either helped resolve or declared ended.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim praised the Thailand-Cambodia agreement in his opening remarks at the summit, saying “it reminds us that reconciliation is not a concession, but an act of courage.”

Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Nikornday Balankura called the deal on Saturday a “joint declaration” that would show Thailand and Cambodia are “committed to resuming their relationship.”

“This is not an end in itself,” Nikordei said. “The work has just begun.”

Tariffs in focus during Trump trip

Trump is expected to meet with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva while he is in Kuala Lumpur, but not with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The US leader is angry with Canada over television ads protesting his tariffs and announced on social media on the way to the summit that he would raise tariffs on Canada because of it.

Another trade war is central to Trump's trip, this time with China. Trump told reporters traveling with him on Air Force One that he was optimistic his meeting with Xi Jinping, expected to take place in South Korea, could lead to 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 getting a very comprehensive deal,” Trump said. “I want our farmers to be taken care of. And he also wants something.”

It remains to be seen whether Trump's deal will resolve long-standing problems or leave them for another day.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday suggested Washington and Beijing could abandon their confrontation rather than press ahead with higher tariffs from America and restrictions on rare earth exports from China.

Asked whether the two countries could extend the trade truce agreed earlier this year, Bessent said: “I would say yes.” However, he stressed that the final decision will be Trump's.

During the trip, Trump expressed confidence in the prospect of trade agreements with Japan and South Korea, two longtime allies and trading partners.

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

One leader who was absent from the Kuala Lumpur summit is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Although he was close to Trump during his first term, their relationship has become more strained recently. Trump raised hackles by boasting that he had resolved the recent conflict between India and Pakistan and raised India's tariffs on Russian oil.