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View all search resultsTrump’s return puts ASEAN back in spotlight
Trump’s presence, without doubt, has placed ASEAN once again on the global stage.
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Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul (left) and Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet (center) shake hands next to United States President Donald Trump, on Oct. 26, 2025, the day of the signing of a ceasefire deal between Cambodia and Thailand, on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur. (Reuters/Evelyn Hockstein)
U
nited States President Donald Trump’s presence at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, was predicted and anticipated, although with a rather unique condition attached, one never before set by a previous US president when attending an ASEAN-related summit.
The attendance of the US president at the ASEAN Summit always carries important weight for the organization, and President Trump’s presence this time, without doubt, has placed ASEAN once again in the global spotlight, as most mainstream media outlets are busy focusing on the war in Ukraine and the continuing, devastating and brutal Israeli war against Palestinians in Gaza and other occupied Palestinian territories. This is a unique situation, but there are some important perspectives to be observed.
First, ASEAN’s continued efforts to serve as an ideal platform for dialogue and cooperation, particularly on strategic geopolitical and economic issues in the region, have been its fundamental and long-term contribution to remaining relevant, not only to its people but also to the wider region and global community of nations.
The attendance of many world leaders at the related summits creates an ideal situation for those leaders to demonstrate not only their commitment to enhancing partnership with ASEAN’s growing potential but also their willingness to meet many major countries’ leaders attending the grouping’s summit.
The ASEAN-related summits organized at the end of the year always provide opportunities for the US and Chinese leaders, for instance, to reduce tensions. This summit in Kuala Lumpur was also used by Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to meet, for the first time, with President Trump after his announcement of a politically motivated trade tariff on Brazil. The same approach was also taken by other world leaders, including those newly elected making their international debut.
Second, the regions visited by President Trump in both his first and second terms have been only Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. His presence in Southeast Asia this month offered him a grandstand as a self-proclaimed peacemaker, as he claimed that making peace is his hobby, despite his foreign policy in other regions contradicting that claim.
In the first term, his motivation to come to the region was due to his interactions with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which brought President Trump to travel to Singapore and attend the ASEAN Summit in Vietnam.
