Tillerson leaves Malaysia, wraps up Southeast Asia tour

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wrapped up an overnight visit to Malaysia on Wednesday, ending a Southeast Asia tour aimed at signaling President Donald Trump's commitment to the region, abc news reported.

Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi said in a statement they held talks Wednesday, centered on security issues including terrorism and human trafficking as well as bilateral and international issues. Tillerson then met with US embassy staff before heading to Washington. He had met Prime Minister Najib Razak after arriving late Tuesday from Bangkok.

Tillerson had earlier visited Thailand, and attended regional meetings in the Philippines that focused heavily on North Korea's push to advance its nuclear weapons and missile programs. In his visits to Thailand and Malaysia, he had also urged both countries to maintain pressure on Pyongyang to drop its nuclear weapons program.

Tillerson was the first top US official to visit Thailand since the nation's military seized power from an elected civilian government three years ago, causing relations with the United States to sour.

Thailand, like other Southeast Asian countries, has also been cultivating closer ties with China, causing consternation in Washington. The Thai position has been seen as both a rebuke to Washington and an accommodation to Beijing's aggressive carrot-and-stick diplomacy, which includes both the blandishment of massive infrastructure development projects linking the region and intimidation through naval moves to promote Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Source: MENA