US President Donald Trump performed a traditional Malaysian dance upon his arrival in Kuala Lumpur, where the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit is taking place.
The dance is a traditional welcome greeting based on techniques from the Malaysian martial art of silat.
The American leader was welcomed at the airport by Malaysian leaders led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. They will later hold a bilateral meeting.
Trump plans to attend the signing of a joint declaration between Thailand and Cambodia on principles for bilateral relations, which have been marred by a recent border conflict.
According to Malaysia's Foreign Ministry, side events and meetings will be held on the sidelines of the summit, including "ASEAN Plus One" with representatives from each of the seven partner countries (Australia, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States) and "ASEAN Plus Three" (China, Japan and the Republic of Korea). The East Asia Summit (EAS) will be held in Kuala Lumpur.
ASEAN was founded in 1967 and, with the addition of East Timor, currently brings together eleven countries from Southeast Asia: Brunei, Vietnam, East Timor, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. The association's first summit was held in 1976. From the beginning of 2025, the ASEAN chairmanship will rotate from Laos to Malaysia.