Overview
- Thailand and Cambodia signed a U.S.-brokered agreement in Kuala Lumpur that includes withdrawing heavy weapons, joint demining and an ASEAN monitoring role, with Thailand pledging to free 18 Cambodian prisoners.
- After two days of negotiations in Malaysia, U.S. Treasury chief Scott Bessent reported a “very successful” framework and China’s Li Chenggang cited a preliminary consensus ahead of a Trump–Xi meeting in Busan on Thursday.
- Bessent said the planned 100% tariff hike on Chinese imports is off the table, and he cited discussions on delaying Chinese export curbs on rare earths, resuming U.S. soybean purchases and cooperating on fentanyl precursor controls.
- The White House announced trade and critical‑minerals arrangements with Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia, including a Malaysian commitment to avoid restricting rare earth sales to U.S. companies.
- Speculation about a meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un persisted, but a senior U.S. official said such an encounter is not on this trip’s schedule.