Trump aims to start his Asia trip with dealmaking in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to burnish his reputation as an international dealmaker on Sunday by solidifying a trade agreement with Malaysia and overseeing the signing of an expanded ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand, two nations that skirmished along their disputed border earlier this year.

The two accords could be finalized while Trump attends the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which is being hosted in Kuala Lumpur. It’s the first stop of a three-country swing across the continent, with visits to Japan and South Korea and a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Trump told reporters traveling with him on Air Force One that he was optimistic his meeting with Xi could yield progress on a range of issues, including fentanyl trafficking and soybean trade. “I think we have a really good chance of making a very comprehensive deal,” Trump said. “I want our farmers to be taken care of. And he wants things also.”

Details about Trump’s agreements have been characteristically scarce, even after Trump departed Washington. It remains to be seen whether Trump’s dealmaking addresses longstanding issues or puts them off for another day.

The Republican president is scheduled to touch down in Kuala Lumpur around 10 a.m. local time. He will meet with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim before attending a ceremony featuring Cambodia and Thailand and later joining regional leaders for dinner.

U.S. presidents don’t always attend this summit, and Trump went only once during his first term. But he told reporters aboard Air Force One that he wanted to come because Anwar helped resolve the fighting between Cambodia and Thailand.

“I told the leader of Malaysia, who is a very good man, ‘I think I owe you a trip,’” Trump said.

Dozens of people died and hundreds of thousands were displaced during five days of combat in July. Cambodia and Thailand have competing territorial claims, and violence periodically flares along their border.

Trump threatened to withhold trade agreements from the two countries unless they stopped fighting, a display of economic leverage that has been credited with spurring negotiations. A shaky truce has persisted since then.

“The fact that Trump was holding the tariff card was actually very, very significant,” said Ou Virak, president of Phnom Penh’s Future Forum think tank. “That’s probably the main reason, if not the only reason, but definitely the main reason why the two sides agreed immediately to the ceasefire.”

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

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

Thai foreign ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura told reporters on Saturday that the “joint declaration” to be signed on Sunday will state that Thailand and Cambodia “are committed to renew their relations.”

He also said there has been an agreement to address Thai concerns about landmines and heavy artillery along the border, as well as other issues.

“It’s not an end in itself,” Nikorndej said. “Work has just begun.”

Trump expressed confidence about the prospect of finalizing trade agreements during his trip. Negotiations have been underway with Japan and South Korea, two longstanding allies and trading partners.

In Southeast Asia, trade talks appear further along with Malaysia, and a deal is expected to be signed while Trump is in Kuala Lumpur.

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

One leader who will be absent from the summit is Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Although he was close with Trump during his first term, the relationship has been more tense lately. Trump caused irritation by boasting that he settled a recent conflict between India and Pakistan, and he has increased tariffs on India for its purchase of Russian oil.

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Associated Press writer Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok contributed to this report.