Trump scheduled to have bilateral meeting with PM during ASEAN Summit

KUALA LUMPUR: United States (US) President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold an expanded bilateral meeting and signing ceremony with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits on Sunday (Oct 26).

AI Brief

Trump attends ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, meets regional leaders and joins a border deal signing ceremony.
Topics include trade, semiconductors, security and regional stability during Trump's first Asia visit of his second term.
Leaders from ASEAN, China, Japan, India and others gather under Malaysia's chairmanship for high-level talks.

Based on the tentative schedule released on the America's Roll Call website, Trump will arrive in the capital on Sunday morning to attend the opening ceremony of the ASEAN Summit, followed by a bilateral meeting with Anwar in the afternoon at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

The US President will then take part in a signing ceremony with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and Thai Premier Anutin Charnvirakul in the evening, believed to involve a border dispute agreement between the two Southeast Asian countries.

Trump is set to conclude the day by participating in the 13th ASEAN-US Summit and a working dinner with ASEAN leaders before departing on Monday.

Previous media reports stated that the US President will fly to Tokyo on Monday to meet Japan's first woman Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, before departing for Busan on Wednesday to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in South Korea.

Yesterday, US Ambassador to Malaysia Edgard D. Kagan said semiconductor tariffs, trade, investments, security and regional stability are among the topics expected to be discussed during Trump's visit to Malaysia.

This marks Trump's maiden trip to Asia in his second presidency, and the first visit to Malaysia by a US President since Barack Obama's visit a decade ago.

Malaysia, which holds the ASEAN Chairmanship this year under the theme "Inclusivity and Sustainability", will host the 47th ASEAN Summit from Oct 26 to 28.

The event will see the participation of top leaders from the 10 ASEAN member states, along with key dialogue partners including the US, China, South Korea, Japan and India.

Apart from Trump, other prominent leaders expected to attend the summit include Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, European Council president Antonio Costa and Takaichi.

-- BERNAMA