ASEAN Summit to Host Trump, Finalize U.S.–Malaysia Trade Deal
Leaders from Southeast Asia and major world powers are set to convene in Kuala Lumpur later this month for a summit that is expected to finalize a trade pact with the U.S., formally welcome a new member nation, and navigate mounting geopolitical tensions.
The 47th ASEAN Summit, scheduled for Oct. 26–28, is being hosted by Malaysia, which holds the bloc’s rotating chairmanship for 2025. The theme for its term is “Inclusivity and Sustainability,” a focus the host nation says is aimed at strengthening regional peace and prosperity.
East Timor is expected to be formally admitted as the 11th member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations during the summit, after its membership was agreed to in principle in 2022. The bloc’s current members are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Myanmar, however, has been barred from the group’s high-level meetings since a military coup in 2021.
A trade agreement between the U.S. and Malaysia is tentatively planned to be signed at the summit by President Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar bin Ibrahim. Tengku Zafrul Aziz, Malaysia’s minister of investment, trade, and industry, told the Bernama news agency on Sept. 26 that both leaders were keen to formalize the pact at the event, marking a critical juncture in trade negotiations between the two countries.
President Trump’s attendance was confirmed by Anwar following a phone call in late July. The invitation, however, has drawn criticism from former Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad, who on Sept. 27 urged Anwar to withdraw it, citing continued U.S. military aid to Israel.
Anwar responded by saying Malaysia would use the summit as an opportunity to continue expressing its concerns over the situation in Gaza.
The summit is expected to draw a number of other global leaders, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Carney all confirmed to attend.
ASEAN’s role in mediating regional conflicts will also be in the spotlight. Following a border clash in July between member states Thailand and Cambodia, the two nations agreed in August to the deployment of an ASEAN observer mission. In the interim, military attachés from ASEAN countries stationed in Thailand and Cambodia are monitoring the cease-fire.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said on Sept. 27 that he hopes to finalize the mission’s terms of reference at the summit to strengthen its role in the border region.
The October meeting will be the second summit held during Malaysia’s chairmanship. At the 46th ASEAN Summit in May, leaders signed a “Kuala Lumpur Declaration” that emphasized bolstering the bloc’s resilience against regional and global challenges.
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