KUALA LUMPUR – US President Donald Trump arrived at his second Asean Summit on Oct 26 armed with praises and diplomatic compliments – and South-east Asian leaders were more than happy to return the favour.

He began the day by commending three South-east Asian prime ministers, including Malaysian leader Anwar Ibrahim, for their role in the Thailand-Cambodia peace deal, stating that “the three men sitting here should be credited with doing an incredible job for humanity”.