TOKYO -- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim quickly reached out to Donald Trump after the U.S. president's inauguration on Jan. 20, congratulating him on social media the following day. As ASEAN's chairman in 2025, Anwar extended an invitation to Trump to attend the East Asia Summit, which will take place in Malaysia later this year, expressing his hope to "welcome President Trump to Malaysia, reaffirming America's renewed engagement with our region."
Since 2011, the U.S. has participated in the annual regional forum, which brings together leaders from 18 countries, including the 10 ASEAN members and countries such as Japan, China, India and Russia. While it is customary for the U.S. president to attend, Trump largely ignored the event, skipping the summit during his first four years in office through January 2021.
