PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., is set to meet with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders next week during the 46th ASEAN Summit ahead of the Philippines’ chairmanship of the regional bloc in 2026.
Speaking in a palace briefing on Thursday, Foreign Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Dominic Xavier M. Imperial said Mr. Marcos will be meeting with leaders of Laos and Vietnam at the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on May 26 and 27.
He will also meet with Kuwaiti leaders, although the Gulf country is not a member of ASEAN, Mr. Imperial said, noting the list is still being finalized.
“He will be accompanied by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Enrique A. Manalo, and Trade Secretary Cristina A. Roque,” Mr. Imperial said.
Mr. Marcos’ visit will also include his participation in two expanded engagements: the 2nd ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit and the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit.
A key agenda item for the summit will be ASEAN’s unified response to the recent imposition of unilateral tariffs by the United States.
Mr. Imperial said that while ASEAN remains concerned about the economic impact of these tariffs, the bloc has agreed not to retaliate. Instead, member states are focusing on enhancing bilateral and multilateral engagement with the US, a strategy strongly supported by Mr. Marcos.
President Marcos supports this non-retaliatory, dialogue-focused approach aimed at benefiting all ASEAN member states, he added.
The summit is expected to release a joint statement on the agreements among ASEAN leaders, with the GCC, and China, covering ASEAN’s three pillars of peace and security (including maritime cooperation), economic cooperation (such as digital transformation and artificial intelligence), and socio-cultural ties (including people-to-people exchanges and climate change).
The summit will also discuss Timor-Leste’s pending membership in the world’s 5th largest economy, but Mr. Imperial noted they may not yet vote on its application yet. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana
