U.S. President Donald Trump will reportedly attend the ASEAN summit later this month in Malaysia only if he can preside over a ceremonial peace deal between Cambodia and Thailand that leaves China out, the American news site Politico reported.
Trump was seen as playing a key role in brokering a late-July ceasefire between the two neighbors after five days of border clashes that killed at least 48 people. Malaysia and China were also seen as major players in the process, while Trump made trade negotiations – both countries faced some of the region’s highest U.S. tariffs at the time – conditional on reaching peace.
The reported conditions, which the White House denied in comments to Politico, come as Trump continues to showcase his ambition for a Nobel Peace Prize, for which Prime Minister Hun Manet has nominated him.
The South China Morning Post also cited four government and diplomatic sources as confirming the White House request for a peace ceremony at the summit, scheduled in Kuala Lumpur from Oct. 26-28.
Phnom Penh officials have taken a diplomatic line in response to the White House push to be center stage, with the Trump administration downplaying China’s role in the ongoing negotiations.
When asked about the Politico report, Cambodian government spokesperson Pen Bona said they have not yet commented on the matter but will wait to see how it develops. He added that Cambodia is grateful for Trump’s contribution in establishing a ceasefire and thanked all relevant parties, including Malaysia, the current ASEAN chair, and China.
Chhum Sounry, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, did not respond by publication time.
Regional analysts are also critical of the reported stipulations at the summit of a regional bloc hit hard by the U.S. leader’s renewed tariff war.
Seng Vanly, an independent Phnom Penh-based Asia-Pacific geopolitical analyst, said the fragile ceasefire between Cambodia and Thailand was secured through ASEAN’s quiet coordination and regional balance, not American theatrics.
“The ceasefire was not the product of threats or theatrics, but of painstaking diplomacy,” he said. “China urged restraint, ASEAN provided the political framework, and U.S. voices added external pressure. Together, these efforts contained a crisis that might have spiraled further out of control.”
Vanly said Trump appears to be using the ASEAN stage to brand himself as a peacemaker in pursuit of a Nobel Peace Prize, rather than focusing on stability in the bloc. He added that the insistence on barring Chinese officials from the ceremony is equally troubling.
“Southeast Asia does not need proxy rivalries dressed up as peace ceremonies,” he warned.
With the summit only weeks away, tensions remain high along the Cambodia-Thailand border, particularly around the disputed Prey Chan and Chouk Chey villages in Banteay Meanchey province, after Thai authorities ordered the evacuation of Cambodian villagers from areas they claim as Nong Chan, Nong Ya Kaeo, and Ta Phak Ya in Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province.
The Regional Border Committee (RBC) meeting, a bilateral body dedicated to resolving regional border issues, was put on hold after Cambodia’s military rejected the evacuation demands set by Thai forces.
Brief fire exchanges also broke out late last month near the Preah Vihear border, and all shared land crossings remain closed for trade.
Thailand’s new Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Bangkok is only ready to negotiate with Cambodia if all conditions are met.
Anutin’s strong rhetoric extended to distant mediators, saying they could only help by ensuring Cambodia complies with the agreements Bangkok says were undermined. He told Thai media that Cambodia’s Nobel Prize nomination for Trump would have no impact on Thailand’s decisions.
