ASEAN Summit: Region seeks trade talks, but Trump wants his Nobel Peace Prize
US President Donald Trump has accepted an invitation to the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur later this month, but under one condition: he must be allowed to preside over the signing of a peace deal between Cambodia and Thailand, the neighbours recently locked in one of the region’s deadliest border clashes.
The October 26 to 28 summit was expected to provide a platform for Southeast Asian nations to urge Washington to ease new tariffs that have rattled their economies. But Trump’s demand for a peace ceremony has shifted focus from trade to his own quest for diplomatic recognition.
Trump arrives on a high note after Hamas and Israel agreed to the first phase of a plan he has drafted for Gaza. The timing coincides with the Nobel Prize Committee’s announcement week, including the coveted Peace Prize that Trump has long sought.
At least 43 people were killed in early August after five days of fighting along the Cambodian–Thai border. The clashes ended on August 7, following a ceasefire mediated by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Four diplomatic and Malaysian government sources told This Week in Asia that Trump wanted the ceremony to showcase his role in initiating the peace process. Politico reported that the White House made the ceremony a condition for Trump’s attendance and requested that Chinese officials be excluded from the event.
Washington has not issued any formal demands to Malaysia as this year’s ASEAN chair. “(The peace deal ceremony is) potentially happening, yes, but it has yet to be finalised,” a source told This Week in Asia, adding that it also depended on Thailand’s approval.
Border tensions remain high despite the ceasefire. Both sides have accused each other of violations, with militaries still on alert. Nationalists in Thailand and Cambodia have pressured their governments not to concede territory.
Thailand’s new prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, took office last month after parliament voted out Paetongtarn Shinawatra for an ethics breach linked to a leaked call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen. Anutin has pledged to dissolve parliament within four months to allow new elections and a constitutional referendum.
The 2025 Asean Summit is expected to draw global attention, with confirmed attendance from China’s Premier Li Qiang, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa.
All 10 ASEAN leaders are expected to seek bilateral meetings with Trump to discuss trade relief, following the imposition of US tariffs ranging from 10% to 40% on exports from the region since August. Economists have warned that the tariffs could slow Southeast Asia’s growth and push countries to find new export markets.
Washington has overtaken Beijing as Kuala Lumpur’s largest export market, with bilateral trade reaching $78.3 billion in 2022. Across Asean, however, China remains the dominant partner for the 16th straight year, with trade totalling $597 billion in the first seven months of 2025.
A recent regional survey found that 52.3% of Southeast Asian respondents preferred the US as a long-term strategic partner, compared with 47.7% for China. Those figures came before Trump’s new tariffs, which have hit ASEAN members at varying levels: Laos and Myanmar at 40%, Brunei at 23%, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Cambodia at 19%, and Singapore at 10%.
As Asean leaders prepare to focus on trade and regional stability, Trump’s attention appears fixed elsewhere — on a symbolic peace deal, and the Nobel Peace Prize he still hopes to claim.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
