Trump’s Southeast Asia Ambitions: Motive and Strategy
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Donald Trump’s Asia Tour: Peace Deal & Trade Pressure
Jakarta – United States President Donald Trump arrived in Japan on Monday (27/10), the second stop on his five-day tour of Asia. This is Trump’s longest foreign trip as taking office in January.
His first stop was the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur,malaysia. in the forum, Trump witnessed the signing of a peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, called the Kuala Lumpur Peace accords.
The deal builds on a ceasefire reached after Trump intervened in July, when a decades-old border dispute between the two countries flared again and led to five days of clashes.
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After the deal was signed, Trump praised the courage of Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun manet, and said the ceasefire he helped broker had saved “millions of lives.”
“Today is a historic moment for all the people of Southeast Asia, when we signed a historic agreement to end the military conflict between Cambodia and Thailand,” trump said.
Both countries expressed their commitment to peace and security, and agreed to carry out mine clearance efforts along the border, withdraw heavy weapons, and open access for ASEAN-coordinated ceasefire monitoring teams.
Thailand also agreed to release 18 Cambodian soldiers who have been detained since July.
Along with the peace agreement, Trump signed reciprocal trade agreements with Malaysia and Cambodia. Simultaneously occurring, Vietnam is committed to increasing purchases of products from the United States to reduce the trade surplus of $123 billion dollars (equivalent to IDR 2,041 trillion) by 2024.
Trump left Malaysia on Monday (27/10) afternoon for Japan. Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, who has only been in office for a week, hopes to build a good personal relationship with trump to ease trade tensions.
On a flight to Tokyo on Air Force One, trump said his meeting in Japan would highlight “the great friendship between the United States and Japan.”
Between diplomacy and personal ambition
Though, Trump’s move drew a lot of criticism. Phil Robertson, director of asia Human Rights and Labor Advocates, assessed that Trump’s actions were full of personal motives.
“Trump is clearly ambitious about pursuing the Nobel Peace Prize. His role in the Thailand and Cambodia agreement shows more of an obsession with self-image than a long-term commitment to peace,” Robertson told DW.
he added that Trump’s threat to raise tariffs on both countries’ exports to 49 percent left them with no choice but to sign a peace deal.”Both countries are very dependent on the United States market,” he said.
Trade pressure becomes a tool of influence
According to political analyst from Singapore, Ian Chong, trump’s influence in Southeast Asia cannot be separated from economic pressure.
“Tariffs and trade are the United States’ main weapons in…