Trump, China and stalled diplomacy: Five takeaways from ASEAN summit

Kuala Lumpur: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) concluded on Tuesday its biannual summit attended by foreign leaders including US President Donald Trump, with trade and regional tensions on the agenda.

Here are five takeaways from the meeting in Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur.

Trump show

Trump jetted into Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, his presence eclipsing the usual ASEAN agenda.

Aside from his trademark “fist-pump” routine with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the tarmac, all eyes were on the US president as he unveiled a flurry of trade deals and met with leaders and officials.

Trump, on his first trip to Asia since returning to the White House in January, secured promises of greater cooperation on rare earths from four Southeast Asian nations, as Washington scrambles to break China’s stranglehold on the crucial industry.

The US president, who has set his sights on receiving a Nobel Peace Prize, also oversaw the signing of a ceasefire pact he helped to broker between neighbours Cambodia and Thailand.

China ties

China signed an “upgraded” free trade agreement with ASEAN, its largest trading partner.

Trade between China and ASEAN member states amounted to $771 billion in 2024.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who oversaw the signing, said Beijing was willing to work with Southeast Asian governments to “eliminate external interference, jointly resist risks and challenges, and create a bright future for us all”.

New member

East Timor formally joined the bloc as its 11th member, after 14 years of campaigning.

Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao said joining ASEAN was “a powerful affirmation” for the young nation.

Anwar, the bloc’s chair, said that East Timor’s accession “completes the ASEAN family - reaffirming our shared destiny and deep sense of regional kinship”.

Myanmar stalemate

Despite repeated calls for progress, ASEAN remains largely powerless in stopping the civil war in Myanmar, a member state.

The bloc has taken the lead on diplomacy but struggles to implement a peace plan agreed by all ASEAN leaders - including Myanmar’s junta - in April 2021.

To support the peace effort, ASEAN was looking into appointing of a permanent special envoy to Myanmar, a diplomatic source told AFP Tuesday.

“It’s on the table, but we have not discussed the idea in depth because of a lack of time,” the source said.

Myanmar remains a member of ASEAN but its junta leaders have been barred from the bloc’s meetings since their 2021 coup.

Road ahead

Malaysia handed over the ASEAN gavel to Philippines, which will take charge in 2026.

The regional grouping is expected to grapple with familiar challenges.

Territorial tensions in the South China Sea are likely to intensify as four member states - Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam - lay overlapping claims, challenging China’s sweeping assertions of sovereignty.

The Philippines will inherit the albatross of helping bring peace to war-ravaged Myanmar, aiming to forge a consensus on the bloc’s collective response, including whether to readmit junta leaders to ASEAN meetings.