Explainer: What to expect from Asean leaders’ summit as Trump attends

KUALA LUMPUR – Leaders of the 10-member Asean and their dialogue partners, including US President Donald Trump, will meet in Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur from Oct 26 to 28 and are expected to tackle issues ranging from trade to global conflicts. 

Here is what to expect at the meeting.  

Trump, world leaders to attend

Mr Trump is scheduled to join the Asean leaders’ meeting, which begins on Oct 26, before travelling to Japan and then South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum from Oct 31 to Nov 1.  

Mr Trump also attended an Asean meeting in 2017, and will be joined by top US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. 

Other attendees include Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Japan’s new Premier Sanae Takaichi, as well as top officials from South Korea and Russia, and leaders of the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei, Myanmar and Malaysia.

US-China trade talks

Mr Bessent and Mr Greer were expected in Malaysia ahead of Mr Trump’s arrival to meet Chinese officials and defuse tensions over Beijing’s rare earth export curbs, with Washington prepared to impose fresh trade measures if a deal is not reached.

Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng, Beijing’s top economic official, was due to hold trade talks with Mr Bessent and Mr Greer in Malaysia, China’s Commerce Ministry said. 

Trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies have flared in recent weeks after months of relative calm, threatening to derail an expected meeting between Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea next week.  

Thai-Cambodia truce

At the summit, Thailand and Cambodia are expected to sign a broader ceasefire agreement for their border dispute following a deadly five-day conflict in July.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Mr Trump, whose telephone calls broke a deadlock in efforts to end the clashes, helped broker an initial ceasefire on July 28, prompting Cambodia to nominate the US President for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Malaysia’s Foreign Minister said Mr Trump is looking forward to witnessing a signing ceremony during the Asean meeting. 

RCEP summit

Malaysia will hold a leaders’ summit of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – the first for the bloc since it agreed to an initial trade deal in 2020 – where the grouping will consider adding new members and discuss ways to improve trade flows. 

The RCEP, which includes all 10 Asean members as well as China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, is the world’s largest trading bloc, covering nearly a third of the global population and about 30 per cent of global gross domestic product. 

The bloc is seen by some analysts as a potential buffer against tariffs imposed by the US, though its provisions are considered weaker than some other regional trade deals due to competing interests among its members. 

Timor-Leste accession

Asean will formally admit Timor-Leste as its 11th member on Oct 26, ending an accession process that first began more than a decade ago.  

Timor-Leste, South-east Asia’s poorest nation of about 1.4 million people, applied to be part of the Asean bloc in 2011, and was granted observer status in 2022. REUTERS