Trump, Modi, trade talks and peace deal: What's on agenda at ASEAN summit
East Timor signed in to join the ASEAN bloc and become its 11th member ahead of the summit in Kuala Lumpur.
As the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit is set to kick off in Malaysia, US President Donald Trump arrived in the country on Sunday. While he will hold trade talks with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, his much-anticipated talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, amid the ongoing tariff dispute, will not take place as the Indian leader is attending the summit virtually.
Much attention is focused on the ASEAN summit, as several key items are part of this edition's agenda.
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Ahead of the summit, East Timor finally reaped the fruit of its 14-year-long campaign and joined the ASEAN bloc as its 11th member state on Sunday.
ASEAN Summit: What's on the agenda
- Trump in Malaysia
- US President Donald Trump on Sunday arrived in Malaysia to attend the ASEAN summit, a meeting he had skipped several times during his first term. Trump's agenda list itself has a lot of items on it, including trade talks and a peace deal. While Trump will participate in the ASEAN summit, he will also sign a trade deal with Malaysia.
- Ahead of his arrival, he announced that a peace deal would also be signed between Thailand and Cambodia, months after the deadliest clashes between the two nations.
- Trump said he is likely to meet Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on the sidelines of the summit to improve ties with the leftist leader.
- As part of his Asia tour, the US President will also visit Japan and South Korea. He indicated that he could meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the first time since 2019, saying he was "open to it". He will be in Busan ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
- Modi's virtual attendance
- Earlier this week, India and Malaysia announced that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not travel to Kuala Lumpur for the ASEAN summit and will instead join the regional gathering virtually.
- It was earlier anticipated that Modi would meet with US President Donald Trump amid the ongoing trade talks between the two countries. However, that possibility went off the table following New Delhi's announcement.
- External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar would represent India at several key meetings, including the East Asian Summit on October 27.
- Modi chose not to attend the ASEAN summit in person due to scheduling and other issues. Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim said that Modi told him "he would attend online since the Deepavali festival was still being celebrated".
- East Timor joins ASEAN
- After 14 years of campaigning, East Timor finally joined the ASEAN bloc as its 11th member state on Sunday.
- East Timor Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao joined the bloc's leaders for the summit and the signing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur. He said, "This is not only a dream realised, but a powerful affirmation of our journey -- one marked by resilience, determination and hope." He added that this is not the end of East Timor's journey, but the "beginning of an inspiring new chapter".
- Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim said that East Timor's joining "completes the ASEAN family -- reaffirming our shared destiny and deep sense of regional kinship".
- The country, also known by its Portuguese name 'Timor-Leste', is the youngest nation in the region, having gained Independence from Indonesia in 2002 after 24 years. Its President, Jose Ramos-Horta, has long campaigned for an ASEAN membership, the first application for which was submitted in 2011 during his first term.
- While East Timor was given observer status to ASEAN in 2022, its full membership was delayed due to various challenges.
- High levels of inequality, malnutrition and unemployment are key problems in East Timor. It also faces challenges in infrastructure development and human resource capacity, deemed critical for effective participation in ASEAN's economic community.
- Thai-Cambodia peace deal
- US President Donald Trump, who landed in Malaysia on Sunday, will oversee the signing of a peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia later in the day, a development that comes months after the countries' deadliest clash in decades.
- Earlier on Saturday, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul delayed his departure due to the death of the Queen mother of Thailand, saying he will fly to Malaysia for the peace deal with Cambodia. He had asked for a rescheduling of the signing ceremony to Sunday morning.
- In a post on Truth Social, Trump extended his condolences to Thailand over the passing of the Queen mother. He said that the Thai PM will be on hand "when we land". He added, "In order to accommodate everyone for this major event, we will be signing the Peace Deal immediately upon arrival."
- Deadly military clashes between Thailand and Cambodia in July this year killed over 40 people and forced around 300,000 people to flee their homes. After five days of fighting, the two sides agreed to a ceasefire, which in part was brokered by the US President.
The ASEAN summit is a biannual meeting held by the member states to discuss economic, political and socio-cultural matters of the Southeast Asian nations. The bloc comprises Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, and now East Timor. The ASEAN summit will be held in Kuala Lumpur from October 26 to October 28.
