KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -China will sign up to a Southeast Asian treaty banning nuclear weapons in the region as soon as all documentation is ready, Malaysia's foreign minister said on Thursday.

The nuclear ban treaty, established in 1997, limits the member nations' use of nuclear weapons to peaceful purposes, like power generation.

The U.S. Secretary of State wants to bolster defense ties in the Indo-Pacific, while distrust of Trump’s commitments to the region, particularly on economic issues, runs deep.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan on civil nuclear cooperation, the State Department said in a statement on Thursday.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has warned that global trade is being weaponized as U.S. tariffs loom over Southeast Asia

“Corruption remains one of the most serious challenges facing the South-East Asia region,” said Megumi Hara, UNODC Crime prevention and criminal justice officer specialized in anti-corruption. “Investigative journalism is one of the strongest accountability mechanisms we have, and we are committed to fostering the environments where it can thrive.”

Malaysia's central bank cut interest rates for the first time in five years on Wednesday, as global trade uncertainties threaten the export-oriented economy, raising the prospect it may lower borrowing costs again this year to shield the economy.