KUALA LUMPUR, October 26, 2025 — In a high-profile diplomatic milestone, President Donald Trump presided over the signing of a long-awaited peace treaty between Cambodia and Thailand, alongside major trade and critical mineral agreements with both Southeast Asian nations. The signing ceremony took place on Sunday morning in Kuala Lumpur, on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit hosted by Malaysia.
Joining the U.S. president were Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who formalized the regional ceasefire pact designed to manage longstanding border disputes. The new accord aims to end years of intermittent tensions between Bangkok and Phnom Penh, which have occasionally flared into armed skirmishes. Malaysia played host and mediator in facilitating the peace talks.
President Trump lauded the moment as “a new era of peace and prosperity in Southeast Asia,” emphasizing Washington’s commitment to regional stability and trade connectivity. “This agreement shows what strong leadership, honest dialogue, and shared goals can achieve,” he told reporters shortly after the signing. The U.S. simultaneously finalized a bilateral trade framework with Cambodia and a critical minerals partnership with Thailand, both aimed at bolstering resilient supply chains and reducing reliance on China’s rare earth exports.
Analysts view the deals as part of the administration’s effort to expand U.S. economic influence in the Indo-Pacific while countering Beijing’s resource dominance. The Thailand minerals pact will secure U.S. access to lithium, nickel, and rare earth supplies crucial for electric vehicle and defense manufacturing, while the Cambodia trade pact covers textiles, agriculture, and technology transfer protocols.
The peace signing capped the first leg of President Trump’s sweeping Asia tour, which includes stops in Japan, South Korea, and a closely watched meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week. The Kuala Lumpur agreements mark the most significant U.S. diplomatic engagement with mainland Southeast Asia since 2017 and underscore Trump’s stated goal of positioning America as “a stabilizing force for global trade and peace”.
Observers in the region hailed the event as a powerful symbol of reconciliation and renewed U.S. engagement, with Cambodia’s Hun Manet calling it “a triumph of diplomacy over division,” while Prime Minister Anutin said Thailand looked forward to “a decade of peaceful borders and economic renewal.”
