KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 — Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul cancelled his trip to Malaysia today ahead of the Asean Summit tomorrow due to the death of the kingdom’s Queen Mother Sirikit, and may miss the signing of a ceasefire deal with Cambodia that United States President Donald Trump is set to witness this weekend.
Asean foreign ministers are meeting here today to start a weekend of global diplomacy, with teams from the US and China holding trade talks alongside the summit.
Trump is due to arrive tomorrow morning on the first stop of his trip through Asia, and was set to watch Cambodia and Thailand sign a broader ceasefire deal after he helped broker an end to a deadly five-day border conflict in July.
A Thai government spokesperson said there would be a discussion on how to proceed with the ceasefire ceremony and whether another official would sign the agreement after Anutin cancelled his trip.
It is unclear whether Anutin would still travel to Kuala Lumpur tomorrow.
The Thai cabinet is scheduled to meet today to discuss funeral arrangements.
At its annual summit, Asean plans to press for trade multilateralism and deeper ties with new partners, while managing the fallout from Trump’s global tariff offensive.
It will also welcome Timor-Leste, Asia’s youngest nation, as its 11th member.
Alongside the regional talks, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will hold trade talks with a Chinese delegation led by Vice-Premier He Lifeng.
The world’s two biggest economies are looking to find a way forward after Trump threatened new 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods and other trade curbs from November 1, in retaliation for China’s vastly expanded export controls on rare earth magnets and minerals.
