KUALA LUMPUR: The meeting between United States President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping Thursday (Oct 30) should be welcomed as a good development for the international community, says Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin.
The Defence Minister said the meeting was a positive development as the cooperation between the two nations aligned directly with Asean's regional aspirations for security and prosperity.
He added that the meeting was a positive development for the global community, as in an interconnected and borderless world defined by free trade, a challenge in any single country could affect all others.
"America, long known as a proponent of peace, and China, a country that believes in the prosperity of a neighbour, were proponents of these respective ideals.
"Malaysia chose Asean Unity for Security and Prosperity because these two (security and prosperity) are very important. The meeting is in line with what Malaysia aspires to or Asean aspires to," he said in a press conference after his walkabout for the preparations of the Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) here Thursday.
Earlier Thursday, Trump and Xi concluded their high-level meeting as Trump left for Washington after more than an hour's meeting in Busan, South Korea.
Mohamed Khaled also highlighted Trump's diplomatic efforts, including supporting the Thai-Cambodian peace agreement, addressing the conflict in Gaza and seeking to resolve tensions between Russia and Ukraine as evidence of the US's commitment to global peace.
"You see, President Trump came here because he wanted to see the peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia is signed. And he talks about Gaza, he wants to end the conflict. He also tried to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine," he said.
Trump was seen leaving with Air Force One at Gimhae Air Base, Busan, at around 1.07pm local time (Malaysia time 12.07pm). - Bernama
