Trump Inks Major Trade and Critical Minerals Deals with Southeast Asia, Undercuts China’s Rare Earth Dominance

President Donald Trump continued to reshape global trade during his high-stakes tour of Southeast Asia, signing a series of major deals aimed at balancing trade, securing U.S. supply chains, and breaking China’s grip on the critical minerals market.

While attending the ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur, Trump finalized new trade agreements with Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam — four fast-growing economies that have long enjoyed one-sided trade relationships with Washington. Under the new deals, Trump is pushing for fairer terms, more U.S. exports, and long-term economic cooperation centered on American strength.

Taking on China’s Rare Earth Monopoly

The most significant wins came in the critical minerals sector. Trump secured separate agreements with Thailand and Malaysia to build out alternative supply chains for rare earth elements and other strategic minerals — materials essential for everything from electric vehicles to advanced military systems.

For decades, the Chinese Communist Party has weaponized its monopoly over rare earths, imposing export restrictions and leveraging access to its processing tech as a geopolitical bludgeon. But with this tour, Trump is flipping the script.

Malaysia, sitting on more than 16 million tons of rare earth deposits, pledged not to restrict or ban exports of critical minerals to the United States. While Malaysia currently prohibits the export of raw rare earths to avoid losing national resources, the country signaled it would work closely with the U.S. to expand processing capacity — directly countering recent Chinese overtures to Kuala Lumpur.

New Trade Rules Put America First

Alongside the minerals breakthroughs, Trump signed reciprocal trade deals with Malaysia and Cambodia, a framework pact with Thailand to address tariffs and non-tariff barriers, and a broad economic deal with Vietnam — all designed to level the playing field and open Southeast Asian markets to U.S. goods.

Vietnam, which ran a massive $123 billion trade surplus with the U.S. last year, committed to significantly increasing its imports of American products. Thailand agreed to eliminate tariffs on 99% of U.S. goods and loosen foreign ownership restrictions for U.S. companies in its telecom sector.

Thailand also committed to major U.S. purchases, including 80 American-built aircraft worth $18.8 billion and annual energy imports — liquefied natural gas and crude oil — totaling $5.4 billion. Thai companies will also buy $2.6 billion per year in U.S. agriculture products.

Boosting U.S. Exports and Industry

Several other key wins came out of Malaysia’s side of the deal. The country will streamline certification rules for U.S. pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, grant exemptions for aerospace and medical equipment, and increase purchases of commodities like palm oil, cacao, and rubber.

Trump’s team also ensured that Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam would begin accepting vehicles built to U.S. safety and emissions standards, reducing barriers for American automakers.

Diplomatic Wins Alongside Economic Ones

In a further demonstration of American leadership, Trump presided over an enhanced ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia following deadly border clashes earlier this year. The agreement adds to a growing list of Trump-brokered peace efforts in 2025 — including the recent Gaza ceasefire and Indo-Pacific naval deconfliction accords.

America First on the World Stage

The new deals reflect Trump’s continued push to rebuild American industry, restore trade fairness, and secure the nation’s future in emerging technologies — all while standing firm against China’s economic aggression.

While critics once claimed Trump would isolate the U.S., his Southeast Asia tour proves the opposite: strong leadership, smart diplomacy, and unapologetic patriotism can realign global trade in America’s favor — one deal at a time.