On October 26, 2025, the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, played host to an event that may reshape the future of Southeast Asia: the signing of the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords and a series of sweeping trade agreements. At the center of the action stood U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by the prime ministers of Cambodia, Thailand, and Malaysia, as they formalized a truce and inked economic deals that had been months in the making. For Trump, who called brokering peace his "hobby," the occasion was both a diplomatic triumph and a moment of personal vindication—one that even prompted a Nobel Peace Prize nomination from Cambodia’s leader.
The peace accord, which Trump described as possibly saving "millions of lives," brought an end to a bitter border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand that had erupted into five days of violence in July 2025, leaving at least 66 dead. According to Reuters, the agreement called for a military pullback from the disputed region and the exchange of prisoners of war. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul signed the pact during a ceremony attended by Trump and Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who played host and mediator as ASEAN Chair.
But not everyone was ready to call it a full peace. As BBC reported, Thailand’s foreign minister preferred to label the deal “a pathway to peace,” acknowledging that historic differences between the two countries still linger. Nevertheless, the ceremony was replete with gestures of gratitude. Hun Manet, reflecting the mood of relief in his country, stated, “Recognising your unwavering dedication and resolute efforts to promote peace, not only between Cambodia and Thailand but also among other nations, and reflecting the gratitude of the Cambodian peoples, I have nominated President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.” For Thailand, Prime Minister Anutin offered his “sincere appreciation” to Trump for his decisive role in pushing the two sides toward a settlement.
Trump, never one to shy away from the spotlight, didn’t miss the chance to underscore his signature style of diplomacy. He told reporters, “Millions of people are alive today because of this peace treaty.” He also took a swipe at the United Nations, saying, “The United Nations should be doing this, but they don’t do it. They don’t do it. They turned off my teleprompter. When I made a speech, I had to make a speech without a teleprompter. They’re good at that. The escalator wasn’t working too well. It came to a complete halt. But, I mean, the United Nations has such great potential. I wish they could do it. They didn’t get involved with us at all. We just did the deal and reported the deal, and everybody was sort of amazed that we got it done so quickly and so nicely.”
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who had his own brushes with legal troubles before returning to power, couldn’t resist a bit of humor at Trump’s expense, quipping, “We share lots of things in common. I was in prison, but you almost got there.” The room erupted in laughter, a sign of the lighter mood after months of tension.
The peace deal wasn’t just about laying down arms. It was intertwined with a complex web of trade negotiations, as Trump used economic leverage to bring the parties to the table. As BBC noted, trade deals have become a “useful diplomatic tool” for the U.S. president. In the wake of the ceasefire, Trump lowered reciprocal tariffs for Cambodia and Thailand to 19%, down from threatened levels of 49% and 36%. Sunday’s agreements went further: tariffs on Cambodia’s crucial clothing exports dropped to between 7% and 15%, and the country committed to purchasing 10 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft for its national airline.
Thailand, for its part, agreed to a raft of American purchases: $2.6 billion in agricultural goods, $5.4 billion in energy (including liquified natural gas), and 80 U.S.-made aircraft for a whopping $18.8 billion. Malaysia, meanwhile, signed on for 30 planes, pledged $150 billion in U.S. technology hardware (notably semiconductors), and committed to annual purchases of $3.4 billion in liquified natural gas and $204 million in coal and telecom products, plus $70 billion in investments in the U.S. The deals included new critical minerals agreements, outlining future investments and pricing frameworks meant to counter Chinese export controls—a nod to the region’s strategic competition with Beijing.
According to AFP, the peace and trade signings were the marquee events of Trump’s visit to Malaysia for the ASEAN summit. Yet, the U.S. president’s itinerary was even more ambitious. After a 23-hour flight from Washington—broken up by a refueling stop in Qatar, where he hosted the emir to discuss progress on his Gaza peace plan—Trump was scheduled to fly to Tokyo for the next leg of his diplomatic tour. On the sidelines of the summit, he met Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to discuss the possible reduction of a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods. Meanwhile, U.S. and Chinese negotiators huddled in Kuala Lumpur, hashing out the “final details” of a possible trade deal ahead of Trump’s anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea on October 30.
Trump’s penchant for dealmaking didn’t stop with Southeast Asia. As The Sun and Hindustan Times reported, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet’s Nobel nomination was just one among several. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu credited Trump with brokering the recent Israel–Hamas ceasefire and earlier Middle East peace accords. Pakistan’s government cited his role in de-escalating India–Pakistan tensions (though New Delhi denied this), while Rwanda, Armenia, and Azerbaijan also backed his candidacy for helping resolve regional disputes. In the U.S., several members of Congress, including Representative Anna Paulina Luna, nominated Trump for his diplomatic work in Gaza, Armenia–Azerbaijan, and Congo–Rwanda. The Israeli Hostages Families Forum even praised him for helping secure the release of hostages during the Gaza negotiations.
Despite the accolades, the peace deal’s long-term success remains uncertain. As BBC highlighted, Thailand’s foreign minister’s reluctance to call the agreement a true peace deal hints at unresolved grievances. Still, the Kuala Lumpur Accords formally ended years of sporadic clashes along the Thai–Cambodian border and marked a significant diplomatic achievement for ASEAN under Malaysia’s stewardship.
For Trump, the day’s events were a showcase of his unique brand of personal diplomacy—equal parts showmanship, economic pressure, and a knack for the dramatic. As he looks ahead to further negotiations in Asia and beyond, the world will be watching to see whether his “hobby” can deliver lasting peace where others have failed.
