As the ASEAN summit, hosted by Malaysia in October, had just been scheduled, Trump's team was eager to throw a proposal: let him be the host of a peace agreement and film the reconciliation between Cambodia and Thailand, but on the assumption that China could not participate.
To be honest, this is a diplomatic "exclusion show" that wants to keep China out of the door. However, the drama did not go according to his script. The Chinese side also showed attitude and announced that it will hold joint military exercises with Malaysia at the same time of the summit.
In October, the Malay Peninsula is calm on the surface, but in fact, the undercurrent is turbulent.
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This time, we are eyeing the contradiction between Cambodia and Thailand, not out of messianic feelings, but to create momentum through a peace agreement signing ceremony.
The focus is not on the agreement, but on who will preside over it.On October 6, local time, news reports that the Trump team proposed that Trump would attend the ASEAN summit as an observer or host, and the conditions were also direct: China could not participate.
This request is not only diplomatically impolite, but also obviously sends a signal to regional countries: the United States wants to control the rhythm and does not want to see China appear on the same stage.
But the problem is that from the border situation of the past few years, China has played a brokerage role behind the back several times, and persuasion and promoting talks have long become the norm.
And this time, unilaterally “pleased” by Trump, not only made the situation delicate, but also disturbed other ASEAN countries.
After all, forcibly excluding a large country that has been active in regional affairs for a long time is not only unrealistic, but it is also likely to undermine the existing basis of cooperation.
From Trump's perspective, he needs a "visible" diplomatic achievement. It is his consistent practice to put on a tough stance and play China's card. This summit became another stage for him to self-package.
The PLA's exercise in Malaysia is a response and a reminder
China didn't comment too much on Trump's remarks, but it was not ambiguous in its actions.
On October 8, China announced a joint military exercise in a series of "peaceful friendship" with Malaysia, focusing on humanitarian rescue and maritime security.
The exercise did not engage in high-profile propaganda or emphasize confrontation, but the signal released was clear: China would not withdraw from regional affairs because of the US speech. Instead, China was more willing to tell its neighbors with practical actions that it was still an important force for regional security and cooperation.
Compared with the United States 'mentality of "whoever hosts will lead", China's approach pays more attention to a cooperative atmosphere. The joint exercise invited many countries to participate and did not set an exclusivity threshold, showing an inclusive attitude.
This method of operation is not to show strength, but to establish a more stable regional cooperation mechanism.
In the long run, defense cooperation between China and ASEAN has gradually become normalized. In the past few years, there have been many similar joint exercises, and trust between them has gradually accumulated. This is in sharp contrast to Trump's impromptu attempt to steal the photo by signing an agreement.
The significance of this exercise is not to demonstrate to anyone, but to remind regional countries that China has not withdrawn from the stage. On the contrary, it is still participating in regional affairs in a more stable way.
Malaysia does not want to blame anyone, and Southeast Asian countries do not want to choose side.
As the organizer of this ASEAN Summit, Malaysia is actually in an awkward situation. On the one hand, the United States is a big buyer, and many of its export products rely on the American market.
On the other hand, China's cooperation projects and investments in the region are also few, and economic ties have long been inseparable.
But the more realistic problem is that the public opinion in Malaysia is not very welcomed by the United States. especially in the past year, the U.S. position on the Middle East issue has caused a lot of dissatisfaction among the people.
In this context, Malaysia’s choice is actually limited, and it doesn’t want to disappoint the United States, but it doesn’t dare to blame China.
More importantly, it has to maintain ASEAN’s overall neutral and multilateral image. after all, ASEAN has been emphasizing “centricity” for decades and does not want to be held by any external power.
The idea of other Southeast Asian countries is similar, no one wants to easily stand, everyone understands that this game of great powers is not who can win, but who can lose less.
Choosing a side station means losing another important partner, and balanced diplomacy, although not easy, can at least maintain a certain amount of autonomy.
From this perspective, the United States' attempt to dominate the ASEAN agenda through high-profile pressure may not be able to do so. Although China did not strive for any "hosting power", it has stabilized its influence through exercises and cooperation projects.
Southeast Asian countries see very clearly who is coming to help and who is coming to steal the wind.
This diplomatic shave around a summit seems to be about a peace agreement, and is actually another China-U.S. clash in Southeast Asia.
Trump hopes to use a superficial "mediation" to shape his image, but the method seems to be eager for quick success. Excluding China not only undermines the foundation of multilateral cooperation, but also turns issues that should belong to ASEAN itself into a tool for major powers to wrestle.
China, on the other hand, did not respond too much orally, but continued to maintain a sense of presence in regional affairs through joint exercises and cooperation mechanisms, which can be more recognized by neighboring countries.
For Southeast Asian nations, peace does not depend on who says more, but more on who does more.A high-profile signing ceremony does not necessarily solve actual problems.But a stable, sustained partnership is what they really need.
ASEAN countries know who are the real promoters of peace
The summit has not yet been officially held, but diplomatic actions surrounding it have been ongoing. Trump wants to be the "protagonist," China responds with actions, and Malaysia and other Southeast Asian countries carefully find a balance in the middle.
Southeast Asian countries will eventually choose who is more reliable and who is more trustworthy based on their own interests.
Peace does not depend on who screams, but on who can stand up and stand up in the critical moments.A salesman who uses diplomatic discourse to brush his sense of existence is ultimately more than a partner who does things quietly.
While Trump was still designing the lights and wallpapers for a signing ceremony, China and ASEAN’s cooperation was already real at sea.
Peace does not require a sense of ceremony, it requires practical commitments and actions. Who is the real "peacemaker", time and reality will give the answer.
The reference information:
Trump was exposed to proposing conditions for participation in the ASEAN summit, "excluding China from participating in the ceremony of signing the Tajik Peace Agreement" — Observer Network 2025-10-07 23:40
Trump was exposed to proposing conditions for participation in the ASEAN summit, "excluding China from participating in the ceremony of signing the Tajik Peace Agreement" — Observer Network 2025-10-07 23:40