KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25: Southeast Asian foreign ministers held talks ahead of a landmark ASEAN summit that will formally welcome East Timor as the bloc’s 11th member and mark US President Donald Trump’s first trip to Asia since returning to the White House.
The meeting serves as a curtain-raiser for the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, which starts on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, followed by two days of high-level engagements with key partners, including China, Japan, India, Australia, Russia, South Korea, and the US.
Leaders are expected to focus on regional security, economic resilience, and maritime disputes, with US tariffs and shifting global trade patterns looming large over discussions.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan cautioned his counterparts that “the turbulence of global politics will surely continue to cast a long shadow over our region in the years ahead.” He said that their space for neutrality and centrality is narrowing, particularly in areas such as trade, technology, and regional security arrangement. A separate leaders summit of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the world’s largest trade bloc encompassing ASEAN and five partners: China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, will convene for the first time since 2020.
Trump’s trip marks his first ASEAN meeting since 2017 and his first journey to Asia in his second term. Officials say Trump is expected to witness new US trade deals, including with Malaysia.
He is also expected to preside over the signing of an expanded ceasefire between Thailand and Cambodia, following border clashes between the countries earlier this year.
The ceasefire deal was brokered in Kuala Lumpur in July with ASEAN’s support and under Trump’s threat to suspend trade negotiations. His trip will also take him to Japan and South Korea.
Security has been ramped up across Kuala Lumpur ahead of planned protests against Trump’s visit, particularly over his administration’s stance on the Palestinian issue.
Anwar has said the government would allow peaceful demonstrations but vowed the meetings would proceed smoothly.
While some critics may have called Trump anti-Muslim, Anwar commended Trump for helping broker a ceasefire in Gaza “which is near impossible under normal terms.”
Malaysia, however, maintains that the truce has not resolved the Palestinian question and intends to raise the issue directly with Trump during the summit.
This year’s summit marks a milestone for ASEAN as it welcomes a new member for the first time in 26 years.
The integration of the region’s youngest and poorest nation, East Timor, is being hailed as a symbolic step for regional inclusivity.
ASEAN membership gives East Timor access to the bloc’s free trade deals, investment opportunities, and a broader regional market – vital for diversifying an economy long reliant on oil and gas. (AP)
