Aljazeera’s Trump’s Asia trip live: US president attends ASEAN summit in Malaysia

US President Donald Trump talks with Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim as he arrives at Kuala Lumpur International Airport to attend the 47th ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 26, 2025 [Hasnoor Hussain/Pool Photo via AP]

By John Power, Erin Hale and Ted Regencia

Published On 26 Oct 2025

US President Donald Trump is kicking off his first trip to the Asia Pacific since his re-election by attending the ASEAN summit in Malaysia.
Tariffs and access to rare earth minerals are high on the agenda of the three-day gathering of Southeast Asian nations, which is occurring against the backdrop of the US-China trade war and strategic rivalry.
US President Donald Trump is kicking off his first trip to the Asia Pacific since his re-election by attending the ASEAN summit in Malaysia.
Tariffs and access to rare earth minerals are high on the agenda of the three-day gathering of Southeast Asian nations, which is occurring against the backdrop of the US-China trade war and strategic rivalry.

10m ago

(06:15 GMT)

Who’s attending the ASEAN summit in Malaysia?

ASEAN leaders who are present at the ongoing summit are:

Malaysia‘s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia‘s Prime Minister Hun Manet, Indonesia‘s President Prabowo Subianto, Laos‘s Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Singapore‘s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Vietnam‘s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, East Timor President Jose Ramos Horta.

Myanmar General Min Aung Hlaing, who led a coup in his country in 2021, was not invited.

World leaders who are in attendance include UN Security General Antonio Guterres, US President Donald Trump, China‘s Premier Li Qiang, Japan‘s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, South Korea‘s President Lee Jae Myung, Brazil‘s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, South Africa‘s President Cyril Ramophosa, Canada‘s Prime Minister Mark Carney, Australia‘s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.

European Union Council President Antonio Costa, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino are also present.

India‘s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend the summit virtually.

World leaders who skipped the summit include China‘s President Xi Jinping, Russia‘s President Vladimir Putin, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, France‘s President Emmanuel Macron and Ukraine‘s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, scheduled from Oct 26 to 28, will be the highlight of Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025 under the theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability.” Here is the list of leaders and officials who will attend the meetings.

Malaysia to deploy troops to Thailand, Cambodia to monitor truce By Tony ChengReporting from Sa Kaeo, ThailandMalaysian troops were supposed to come under the initial peace agreement signed in July. But we haven’t seen them yet.In essence, what’s being signed today reinforces the agreements that have already been made.But people here are making the point that while they do welcome the intervention of Trump and the attention that’s been paid by the international community, this is really an issue that needs to be directly resolved between Thailand and Cambodia.These were borders over which hundreds of thousands of people used to move on an almost daily basis. So I think they are eager to be left alone to sort it out amongst themselves.The presence of Malaysia will be welcomed to a certain point.But the real, decisive moves are going to be made directly between the militaries and people of both countries.Click here to share on social media
40m ago (05:45 GMT)Photos: Cambodia, Thailand sign expanded ceasefire dealThailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul (R) and Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet change their seats during the ceremonial signing of a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia [Mohd Rasfan/Pool via Reuters]Hun Manet, right, and Anutin, left, pose for a photo [Mark Schiefelbein/ AP]Trump (R), Anutin (C) and Hun Manet pose with their documents [Mark Schiefelbein/AP]Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim speaks as Trump watches [Mark Schiefelbein/AP]Click here to share on social media

55m ago (05:30 GMT)Scepticism on Thai-Cambodia border as leaders sign peace deal By Tony ChengReporting from Sa Kaeo, ThailandThe devil is going to be in the details of this agreement.And that’s what we’ve been hearing here on the border between Thailand and Cambodia.Obviously, everybody here, and in Bangkok, welcomes any kind of move towards peace. But they’ve been a lot more guarded about calling this an end to the conflict, saying rather that this is the beginning of the end.We’ve seen here the Thai military trying to clear some of these disputed border areas. They hope that in the weeks to come they will be able to make clearer definitions of where those border demarcations are going to be. But we’ve also seen villages who in the last couple of weeks alone have put up new bomb shelters.So people here are still concerned this could go either way.Click here to share on social media
1h ago (05:15 GMT)Trade deals signed alongside peace agreementTrump also formally signed trade deals with Malaysia and Cambodia, and a critical minerals deal with Thailand, after signing the peace agreement.Trump again posed for photos with the leaders, and spoke with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet as the ceremony concluded. US President Donald Trump (R), joined by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet (C) and Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, reacts during a signing ceremony on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on October 26, 2025 [Mark Schiefelbein/AP]Click here to share on social media
1h ago (05:15 GMT)Trump bats away question about TaiwanAmong the many points of tension between the US and China that could be addressed in talks between Trump and Xi later this week is the status of Taiwan.China considers the self-governing democracy part of its territory and has said it would take control of the island by force if necessary.The US is obliged to support Taiwan’s defence through legislation passed in 1979, though it is unclear if Washington would directly intervene in any conflict over the island.While en route to Malaysia for Sunday’s summit, Trump declined to answer a reporter’s question on whether he would consider any change in US policy towards Taiwan.“I don’t want to talk about that now,” Trump said.“I don’t want to create any complexity. The trip is already complex enough.”US President Donald Trump speaks with reporters on Air Force One at Al Udeid airbase in Doha, Qatar, on October 25, 2025 [Mark Schiefelbein/AP]Click here to share on social media
1h ago (05:10 GMT)Trump oversees signing of peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia By Erin HaleTrump has presided over the signing of the agreement before an audience of delegates and reporters in Kuala Lumpur.Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim joined Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to sign the pact.“This a momentous day for the people of Southeast Asia,” Trump said.Hun Manet and Charnvirakul paused for a photo opportunity and then both shook hands with Trump and Anwar.Click here to share on social media
1h ago (05:00 GMT)Trump’s tour raises speculation of meeting with Kim Jong UnAs we’ve been reporting, Trump is due to travel to South Korea following his stopover in Malaysia for the 47th ASEAN summit.The last time he was in South Korea in 2019, he made a surprise trip to the country’s border with North Korea for an impromptu meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.Speculation is once again rife that Trump may seek to meet Kim during his visit to South Korea.The US president, shortly before he left Washington, DC, was asked by reporters if he would be meeting with Kim, and he replied that he “would like to”.He added that the North Korean leader “knows” that he is heading to the region, but said he was not sure the meeting would happen on this trip.Experts, meanwhile, say that prospects for another impromptu meeting aren’t bright this time, but predict that Trump and Kim could eventually sit down for talks again in the coming months.“We should see prospects for their meeting have increased,” Ban Kil Joo, assistant professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy in Seoul, told the Associated Press news agency.Ban cited the recent suspension of civilian tours to the southern side of the border village of Panmunjom and Kim’s comments about a return to talks as hints of a possible meeting.Trump and Kim met three times during Trump’s first presidency, with both leaders expressing an interest in meeting again in recent months.If a meeting is realised, it would mark the leaders’ first summit since their meeting at Panmunjom in June 2019. The two had also met in Singapore in 2018.

1h ago

(05:00 GMT)

Canada PM seeks progress on free trade deal with ASEAN

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has vowed to “accelerate progress” on the free trade agreement between his country and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Carney, who is attending the ASEAN Summit in Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, met with the 11-member bloc on Sunday, and held separate bilateral talks with several of the countries in the region.

“New partnerships here represent massive opportunities for our workers and businesses – and we’re here to seize them,” Carney wrote.

Carney’s bid to forge stronger economic ties with ASEAN comes as Canada faces new challenges in its ties with the US, the latest being the imposition of additional 10 percent levy on Canadian goods over a contentious anti-tariff advertisement featuring former US leader Ronald Reagan.

1h ago (04:50 GMT)Trump addresses media on Thailand-Cambodia peace deal By John PowerThe US president is discussing a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia that is scheduled to be signed in Kuala Lumpur later today.Trump has been keen to claim credit for the ceasefire between the Southeast Asian neighbours, which engaged in deadly border clashes in July.“We got it stopped,” Trump says of the fighting between the sides.Click here to share on social media
1h ago (04:45 GMT)Malaysia’s Anwar says ASEAN a ‘pillar of stability’Writing on social media, the Malaysian prime minister says the ASEAN summit is bringing together leaders to “shape a more inclusive, prosperous, and resilient” region.As ASEAN chair, Malaysia is upholding the bloc as a “pillar of stability”, Anwar says, guided by his government’s values of “unity, peace, and shared prosperity”.

Anwar Ibrahim

@anwaribrahim

Translated from Indonesian

The 47th ASEAN Summit begins today, bringing together thousands of delegates from across the region to strengthen cooperation and build a more inclusive, prosperous, and resilient ASEAN future. Alhamdulillah, this morning I welcomed the arrival of leaders from ASEAN member states, including Timor Leste, as well as Guest of the Chair representatives from Brazil, South Africa, Canada, the United Nations (UN), and the European Union. As host and Chair, Malaysia steps forward to lead with confidence and principle, ensuring ASEAN remains a cornerstone of regional stability, a key player in global diplomacy, and an influential voice for the Global South. This Chairmanship reflects the united spirit of ASEAN and the values of Malaysia MADANI, which emphasize justice and compassion. Malaysia will continue to lead with determination to strengthen regional unity, empower its people, and build a peaceful, prosperous, and resilient Southeast Asia for future generations. // The 47th ASEAN Summit begins today, bringing together regional leaders and delegates to strengthen cooperation and shape a more inclusive, prosperous, and resilient ASEAN. As host and Chair, Malaysia leads with confidence and principle, upholding ASEAN as a pillar of stability, guided by the values of Malaysia MADANI toward unity, peace, and shared prosperity.