President Trump Participates in a Working Session with U.S. - ASEAN Leaders

I invite you to deliver your opening remarks.

Thank you very much. It's a great honor to be here. So many friends in this room and so many new friends. I want to thank Prime Minister Anwar for hosting us, spectacular man, and for organizing this year's ASEAN Summit here in beautiful Kuala Lumpur. As you know, this has been an incredibly successful day for Malaysia. Great honor to be here. I promised I'd be here when the Prime Minister helped us so beautifully with our peace treaty among two very friendly countries, I think we can say right now. And here I am, and it's really something to see what you've done for the United States and for all nations across this magnificent region. They're all watching and they're seeing what's taking place. Thank you very much, it's a great honor. Today, the Prime Minister and I signed a major trade deal between the United States and Malaysia. And together we took part in the signing of a historic peace agreement ending the hostilities between Cambodia and Thailand. We're calling it the Kuala Lumpur Peace Accords. I once again want to congratulate Prime Minister Hun Manet of Cambodia and Prime Minister Anutin of Thailand, who had to return home because of the Queen's passing. This magnificent woman known all over the world and respected by everybody. But this was a great achievement that she was very proud of. I also want to thank the other ASEAN countries for agreeing to send observers and in most cases your Heads of State, because I don't see too many observers, I only see Heads of State, to help ensure a lasting settlement. Today's signing represents just one of eight conflicts that we've ended in eight months of the Trump presidency. I'm very honored to have done it. We've saved millions of lives. That also includes the end of the war in Gaza where we've signed a very strong agreement. We had 59 countries involved and we have numerous of them right here at this table, like as an example Indonesia, my new friend. Thank you very much for helping, we appreciate it. I want to thank Malaysia and Brunei as well as my friend President Prabowo of Indonesia for their incredible support of these efforts to secure the new day for the Middle East. It really is a new day, there's never been a period of time like this. The Middle East will have peace after 3,000 years. This is a very strong peace, it's going to be an everlasting peace. It truly is, it really is a true pleasure to be back with all of you in Southeast Asia, home of some of America's most important allies and countries and partners in the entire world. They look up to you. I'm here in a mission of friendship and goodwill and to deepen our ties of commerce, to strengthen our common security, and to really promote strongly stability, prosperity, and peace for all of the countries in this room and long beyond this room. That's why I'm delighted that in addition to the agreement with Malaysia this week, we're also signing or nearing completion on trade deals with many other Indo-Pacific partners from Cambodia to Japan to South Korea. We're delighted to forge richer partnerships on energy, technology, artificial intelligence, critical minerals and other industries. The United States is having its Golden Age. Last year we were a country that was doing very poorly under a different semi-leadership, I don't even call it a leadership. But this year we're doing numbers that nobody ever thought was possible for any country to do. We'll be at the end of my first year over $20 trillion worth of investment into the United States. There's no country anywhere that's ever done anything close to that. The United States last year for the four years that was announced did less than $1 trillion and we're going to be doing over 20. That's quite a difference. I'd like to just say the United States is for you, committed to a free and open and thriving Indo-Pacific. My message to the nations of Southeast Asia is that the United States is with you 100% and we intend to be a strong partner and friend for many generations to come. One year ago we were in a different position, but now we're in the best position we've ever been and I really do, I say it's the Golden Age of America. It's the Golden Age of the United States. Together we'll create incredible prosperity for the nations on both sides of the Pacific Ocean and to seize new opportunities for all of our people. It's really been an amazing experience. I've been here for a day but it's been an amazing experience to see some of the things that you've done. And the Prime Minister made sure I saw everything, every single thing. When I said, well that's okay, maybe I'll take it easy for a little while, he said, no no, I have other things to show you. We even rode in the car together and he's something. But America's ties to this region date back to early days of our Republic when fearless Americans voyaged across the Pacific to establish outposts of trade and diplomacy here in Asia. Those bonds forged so long ago continue to strengthen and grow to this day, including here in Kuala Lumpur. I'm looking forward to speaking with many of you today and also at APEC in South Korea later this week where we're heading. Once again, thank you very much Mr. Prime Minister and thank you to everyone in this room. You are spectacular leaders, you are incredible people. Your energy, your genius, your everything you do, and I say it truly, everything you touch turns to gold. And you can be very proud of it. Other parts of the world are not like this. You're very special people and it's a very very special place. Thank you very much. Great honor to be with you. Thank you.