Rumour has it that Trump has set conditions on attending the ASEAN Summit

 Direct translation

The CCP is not allowed to be present! Rumour has it that Trump has set conditions

Editor: Shi Fang / Source: Xin Touke / https://www.aboluowang.com/2025/1008/2288271.html

On October 6, POLITICO, citing three anonymous sources, reported that U.S. President Trump is willing to travel to Malaysia later this month to attend the 47th ASEAN Summit, provided he can use it to showcase his "regional mediation efforts."

The report stated that although Trump had agreed to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's attendance at the October 26-28 ASEAN Summit in late July, the White House has imposed a new condition, stating that this is contingent on the Malaysian government agreeing to allow Trump to preside over a ceremony during the summit to sign a peace agreement between Cambodia and Thailand.

Sources familiar with the matter revealed that the White House even specifically pressured the summit organizers to exclude Chinese Communist Party officials from the ceremony. The report stated that this move by the White House is intended to ensure that the focus remains solely on Trump.

Four diplomatic and Malaysian government sources confirmed to Asia This Week, a subsidiary of the South China Morning Post, on October 7 that Trump hopes to hold a special ceremony on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit to demonstrate his leadership in initiating the peace process. Anwar Ibrahim's office and the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have not yet responded to requests for comment.

"Trump aims to use ASEAN summit to snap photo of Thai-Cambodian peace agreement to boost Nobel Prize ambitions," the South China Morning Post headlined, noting that Trump has been vying for this year's Nobel Peace Prize and claiming he has ended seven global conflicts as "chief peacemaker" since returning to the White House in January. The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on October 10th, but many experts predict that Trump's chances of winning are slim.

However, the White House denied linking Trump's attendance at the ASEAN summit with the signing of the peace agreement. "The president is indeed promoting the peace agreement, but it is not a condition of attending the summit," said a senior US government official, speaking anonymously.

The White House also emphasized: "China has nothing to do with the ongoing peace talks... The president is leading the (peace) agreement... China has played no role in these negotiations," the official added.

Meanwhile, the South China Morning Post, citing another anonymous source, revealed that the US had not issued a similar "ultimatum" to Malaysia, this year's ASEAN chair and summit host.

The source said, "(The peace agreement signing ceremony) is possible, but it hasn't been finalized yet." He added that this also depends on Thailand's consent. POLITICO reported that a person familiar with the preparations for the ASEAN summit told the Associated Press, "Everything is still under negotiation, but the Malaysian government is in a very difficult position."

Trump's demands have reportedly put Malaysia in a dilemma. Anwar Ibrahim hopes to reach a trade agreement with the United States in the hope of reducing the current 19% tariffs on Malaysian imports. Analysts say these tariffs will severely impact electronics and furniture exports and could reduce Malaysia's annual economic growth by up to one percentage point over the next year.

Image : U.S. President Trump (centre) attends the opening ceremony of the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila in 2017. Photo: Reproduced from the CCP official media outlet Guanchazhe.com