UNITED States President Donald Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim are expected to be present for the signing of a reciprocal trade agreement between both nations, coinciding with the 47th ASEAN Summit hosted by Malaysia in late October.
Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz confirmed the plan during an exclusive interview with Bernama on the sidelines of the 57th ASEAN Economic Ministers’ (AEM) Meeting.
“President Trump has expressed interest in witnessing the signing of the agreement. This was conveyed by US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer during our bilateral meeting yesterday,” Tengku Zafrul said.
Anwar echoed this sentiment on his official social media platforms, stating his hope that negotiations could be concluded swiftly and that the deal would be signed during the summit.
Anwar underscored the strategic value of the agreement, noting it would provide long-term policy clarity and support economic planning for both countries.
Tengku Zafrul stated that while technical negotiations had concluded, both sides were now working to finalise the legal language of the agreement.
“We have agreed on the key fundamentals, which were announced recently. All substantive issues are resolved. Now it’s just a matter of preparing the final draft,” he said.
He added that negotiations continued earlier that day between the Malaysian and US teams and reiterated the goal of completing the process in time for the leaders' meeting.
“Our teams are working against the clock, but both sides are committed to having the agreement ready for signing when Prime Minister Anwar and President Trump meet in October,” he said.
Anwar, who currently chairs ASEAN, confirmed earlier this month that Trump would make an official visit to Malaysia in conjunction with the summit. The 47th ASEAN Summit marks Malaysia’s fifth time holding the chairmanship, following terms in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015.
Meanwhile, during the 14th ASEAN-Russia Consultation held alongside the AEM, Malaysian officials reaffirmed ASEAN’s commitment to strengthening its longstanding ties with Russia.
ASEAN and Russia formally established their Dialogue Partnership in 1996.
In 2024, Russia ranked as ASEAN’s 10th largest trading partner with total trade reaching US$18.13 billion. Russia was also the 11th largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) among ASEAN Dialogue Partners, contributing US$65.17 million.
The consultation served as a platform to assess the progress of ASEAN–Russia cooperation and to explore further areas of collaboration under the ASEAN–Russia Trade and Investment Work Programme.
“With a shared spirit of partnership and mutual respect, ASEAN is confident that its relationship with Russia will continue to deepen in the years ahead,” said Kondratiev, the Russian Director-General of the Department for Multilateral Economic Cooperation and Special Projects, Ministry of Economic Development during the session. - September 26, 2025
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