Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. US President Donald Trump arrived in Malaysia on Sunday on the first leg of an Asian tour that will include high-stakes trade talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.
A second day of US-China trade talks concluded in the Malaysian capital on Sunday, ahead of Trump's meeting with Xi in South Korea later this week, in a bid to seal a deal to end the bruising trade war between the world's two biggest economies.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters that his meetings with China's Vice Premier He Lifeng had been "constructive, far-reaching, in-depth", and "set the stage for the leaders' meeting in a very positive framework".
For Trump, first among his order of business in Kuala Lumpur was co-signing a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia. Trump called the truce he helped broker, after the deadliest clashes between the neighbours in decades, a "monumental step", adding that he had struck "a major trade deal with Cambodia and a very important critical minerals agreement with Thailand".
Greeted with a red carpet welcome and a sea of Malaysian and US flags, a grinning Trump responded with his trademark arm-waving dance to cultural performers. Trump, who also signed a trade and minerals deal with Malaysia, rode with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in his armoured Cadillac nicknamed "The Beast".
Ahead of his arrival, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he hoped for a "comprehensive deal" with Xi to avoid further 100 percent tariffs due to come into effect on November 1.
