Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced on Saturday that he would travel to Malaysia for the signing ceremony and return to Thailand immediately afterward. The agreement aims to formally end recent border clashes that left many dead and displaced around 300,000 people in July. Trump had personally mediated talks between the two sides to halt the fighting.
Prime Minister Anutin also confirmed that he will not attend the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit next week due to the recent passing of Thailand’s former Queen Sirikit.
The annual ASEAN Summit began on Saturday in Kuala Lumpur, featuring high-level diplomatic meetings and U.S.–China trade discussions. The forum is expected to emphasize multilateral trade cooperation and strengthening partnerships with new member states. East Timor will officially be welcomed as ASEAN’s 11th member during the summit.
Alongside the main sessions, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are set to meet with China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng to discuss trade relations. The world’s two largest economies are seeking ways to avoid further escalation after Trump threatened to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese goods starting November 1—a response to China’s restrictions on rare earth exports.
World leaders attending the summit include China’s Premier Li Qiang, Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
Trump and Lula are expected to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the conference, though it has not yet been officially confirmed. Lula said he plans to challenge Washington’s 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods, calling them a “wrong decision.”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Malaysia, Trump said he may reconsider reducing tariffs on Brazil “under the right circumstances,” but confirmed there are no plans for a separate meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
“We are satisfied with our current agreement with Canada,” Trump said.
Recently, tensions rose between the U.S. and Canada after an Ontario provincial government advertisement quoted former President Ronald Reagan warning that “tariffs lead to trade wars and economic disaster.” Trump dismissed the ad as “fraudulent.”
