US President arrived in on Monday, the second stop of his five-day tour of Asia — his longest journey abroad since taking office in January.
His first stop was the summit in Kuala Lumpur, , where he oversaw the signing of a .
Dubbed the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords, it was built on a reached after Trump intervened in July after the decades-long erupted into five days of deadly clashes.
After the border deal was inked, Trump praised Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet for their courage, adding that the truce he brokered saved “millions of lives.”
“This is a momentous day for all the people of Southeast Asia as we sign a historic agreement to end the military conflict between ,” Trump said.
Both countries confirmed their “unwavering commitment to peace and security,” agreed to organize along their border, withdraw heavy weapons and allow access to ceasefire monitor teams organized by ASEAN.
Thailand agreed to release the it has held in captivity since July.
Trump also signed reciprocal trade deals with Malaysia and . pledged to increase its purchase of US products to reduce a trade surplus of $123 billion (€106 billion) in 2024.
The US president left Malaysia earlier on Monday for Japan. The country’s new prime minister, , only took office last week and is banking on building a friendly personal relationship with Trump to ease trade tensions.
While on Air Force One on Monday, Trump said he planned to talk in Tokyo about the “great friendship” between the US and Japan.
Why is Trump getting all the attention?
Since Trump was sworn in as president, his administration claims to have solved eight wars in eight months.
“We are averaging one a month. There is only one left,” Trump told the Kuala Lumpur summit.
Phil Robertson, director of the Asia Human Rights and Labor Advocates, says Trump is out for himself.
“Presiding over Thailand and Cambodia signing their accord is all about Trump continuing his narcissistic pursuit of next year’s ,” he told DW.
Cambodia nominated Trump for the coveted peace award in July after he intervened to halt .
Trump had threatened to increase on US exports to both Thailand and Cambodia to 49% should they not resolve the border issue. A deal was reached so that both countries would only pay 19%.
“Both Thailand and Cambodia are hugely dependent on the American market for their exports, so there was really no chance they would refuse Trump’s demands that they hurry up and make peace, and actually sign an accord with Trump literally looking over their shoulders,” Robertson added.
Trade pressure drives influence
Despite the United States having the largest economy in the world, Trump wants to shrink US trade deficits with many of its trade partners. To this end, he has used executive orders to hike tariffs.
This has put pressure on Southeast Asian economies, Ian Chong, a political analyst in Singapore, told DW.
“Tariffs, trade — including transshipments — are a big component of US leverage. Southeast Asian economies are conduits in the global supply chain,” Chong said. He added that several countries supply key minerals, such as nickel, to “for manufacturing into … products that find their final market in the United States.”
“Trade restrictions from the United States mean that Southeast Asian states will have to find alternative final markets, which is not easy. This puts further pressure on their economies,” Chong said.
According to the Office of the US Trade Representative, trade between the US and ASEAN nations was estimated to be worth $475 billion in 2024. This is a vital two-way cog for Southeast Asian economies.
Trump said that his administration had worked on how to , and they were surprised by the timeframe of it all happening.
“Everybody was sort of amazed that we got it done so quickly,” Trump said.
Trump courts regional loyalty
It was also a chance for Malaysian PM Anwar to meet with Trump face-to-face, with a reciprocal trade agreement already announced between Washington and Kuala Lumpur.
Chong says that leaders in the region are eager to stay on Trump’s good side and maintain their trade relationships with the US without accepting demands from the world’s second-biggest economy, China.
“Historically, the United States has helped maintain stability and easy access to the sea and air, which are also crucial to trade,” Chong told DW, noting that Washington is not a claimant in territorial disputes in Southeast Asia and has historically seen such access and stability in the region as consistent with its economic and strategic interests.
“A less committed United States could create a destabilising power vacuum or force Southeast Asian states to accept PRC terms,” Chong said, addressing China by the abbreviation of its official name, the People’s Republic of China.
“Southeast Asian leaders may believe that engaging with President Trump directly may enable them to make their case, or at least avoid being shut off by the United States.”
But Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist and professor at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, says Trump is more interested in quick wins and .
“The ASEAN meetings are a sideshow to Trump,” said Thitinan.
“He wants quick wins, while Southeast Asia is looking for slow win-win outcomes. Trump also has turned the ASEAN-US summit into a working dinner, but Southeast Asian leaders have no choice but to go along,” he said.
“Japan and are bigger fish as Trump tries to induce investments into the US. But the biggest agenda item will be his meeting with President Xi,” Thitinan added.
“Unlike the Trump first term, China is ready to deal with the US measure for measure. It’s a geoeconomic brinkmanship.”
Trump said he was hopeful of a deal when he meets with Chinese President Thursday, while also indicating he was willing to extend his trip to meet leader .
“I have a lot of respect for President Xi, and we are going to … come away with a deal,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One.
Edited by: Keith Walker
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