US President Donald Trump has overseen the signing of an expanded ceasefire deal between Thailand and Cambodia, which he helped negotiate this summer season to resolve their border dispute.
The ceremony occurred shortly after Mr Trump arrived within the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur for the ASEAN summit on Sunday, in what he described as a “momentous day”.
“There was a lot of killing. And then we got it stopped, very quickly,” he stated earlier than Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed the settlement.
“We did something that a lot of people said couldn’t be done,” stated Mr Trump. Mr Manet known as it a “historic day” and Mr Charnvirakul stated the settlement creates “the building blocks for a lasting peace”.
The ceasefire settlement requires Thailand to launch 18 Cambodian troopers in captivity and for each international locations to start out withdrawing heavy weapons from the border.
The US president stated he had signed financial offers with each nations and was scheduled to finalise a commerce settlement with Malaysia later within the day.
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Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim welcomes Mr Trump on the primary cease of his journey to Asia. Pic: Reuters
Through the ASEAN Summit, regional leaders are anticipated to work on stabilising ties with the US.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and a troupe of ceremonial dancers greeted Mr Trump at Kuala Lumpur Worldwide Airport. He paused on the crimson carpet to bop with the performers earlier than stepping into his limousine.
Kuala Lumpur is the primary cease of Mr Trump’s week-long journey to the area, which additionally contains visits to Japan and South Korea.
This features a assembly with Chinese language President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC summit in South Korea.
Requested by a reporter whether or not uncommon earths have been mentioned within the US-China talks that started on Saturday, US commerce negotiator Jamieson Greer stated a variety of subjects have been coated, together with extending the commerce truce.
“I believe we are reaching a point where the leaders will have a very productive meeting,” Mr Greer stated.
Mr Trump can also be anticipated to debate tariffs with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who’s among the many leaders attending the APEC summit.
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Mr Trump joins performers in a dance throughout a welcome ceremony at Kuala Lumpur Worldwide Airport. Pic: Reuters
East Timor, Asia’s youngest nation, formally turned ASEAN’s eleventh member on Sunday, fulfilling a imaginative and prescient its present president had practically 50 years in the past, when the nation was nonetheless a Portuguese colony.
Also referred to as Timor-Leste, the nation of 1.4 million is amongst Asia’s poorest and hopes becoming a member of the bloc will strengthen its fledgling economic system. At roughly $2bn, it represents solely a small fraction of ASEAN’s mixed $3.8trn GDP.
