ASEAN Summit Opens in Manila... South Korean, U.S. and Japanese Leaders Begin Diplomatic Push

Leaders Including Lee Jaemyung and Trump Gather
The U.S. to Host the Quad to Counter China
Preparing for Trilateral Summit Ahead of APEC

The ASEAN Summit, bringing together leaders from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and major countries including South Korea, the United States and Japan, opened in Manila, the Philippines, on Nov. 15 local time.

Foreign ministers from ASEAN member states meet and pose for a photo in Manila, Philippines, on the 14th (local time), ahead of the opening of the ASEAN Summit. Yonhap News Agency

The three-day event will be attended by leaders from around the world, including South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

President Trump, who is visiting Asia for the first time since his party lost the midterm elections, will arrive in Manila on Nov. 17, the closing day of the summit. The South China Morning Post (SCMP), based in Hong Kong, reported that Trump is expected to press Southeast Asian countries to join the U.S.-led artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain initiative, Pax Silica. At the Quad summit, which brings together the United States, Japan, Australia and India and is resuming after a two-year hiatus, participants will also coordinate measures to curb China's military expansion in the Indo-Pacific.

After strengthening ties with allies in Manila, President Trump will travel to Shenzhen, China, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, taking place on Nov. 18-19. There, he is expected to hold a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as the first-ever trilateral summit among the United States, China and Russia, with Russian President Vladimir Putin also taking part.

ASEAN member states will seek to coordinate on energy security, including through joint oil stockpiles, in response to surging energy prices triggered by the war in the Middle East. On the South China Sea territorial dispute, negotiations on a code of conduct to prevent accidental clashes will continue, but a deal by the end of the year remains uncertain due to key issues such as legal binding force. Restoring ties with Myanmar, which recently transitioned to civilian rule, will also depend on whether it implements the five-point peace plan agreed upon shortly after the 2021 military coup. However, the Associated Press, citing a draft joint statement, said a major breakthrough at the summit would be unlikely.

President Lee will begin on Nov. 16 with the ASEAN-South Korea and Mekong-South Korea summits, followed on Nov. 17 by the ASEAN Plus Three (South Korea, China and Japan) and East Asia Summit (EAS), as well as a series of bilateral meetings with the Philippines, the host country, and others. Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi also plans to meet with President Trump on the sidelines of the Quad meeting and other events. After the summit concludes, leaders will travel straight to Shenzhen to continue their diplomatic efforts at APEC.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.