ASEAN Summit 2025 in Malaysia: Trump tariffs, rare earths in focus — who is attending? What's expected?
When is ASEAN Summit happening this year? Who all are attending the key summit and what's expected? Here's all you need to know.
The 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit will begin on Sunday (October 26) and continue till Tuesday (October 30), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. World leaders, including US President Donald Trump, are expected to join the summit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier said he would attend the event virtually.
What are ASEAN and related summits?
ASEAN consists of 10 members – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Together, they have a population of 678 million people and a gross domestic product of $3.9 trillion, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
This year, ASEAN will induct its 11th member, East Timor. The country gained independence from Indonesia in 2002 and is home to 1.4 million people.
The ASEAN summit is accompanied annually by the East Asia Summit, a gathering of leaders of the ASEAN nations - the US, China, India, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
The Summits consist of the ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN Plus One Summits between ASEAN and seven (7) Dialogue Partners, namely, Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia, the United States of America, respectively, as well as the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, East Asia Summit, ASEAN-United Nations Summit and ASEAN-New Zealand Commemorative Summit to mark 50 years of dialogue relations.
When is the opening ceremony of ASEAN summit
The Opening Ceremony of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits is scheduled for October 26.
What is the theme of ASEAN summit?
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia said that the country, as the Chair of ASEAN, will be hosting the 47th ASEAN Summit and related Summits under the theme "Inclusivity and Sustainability" at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) from 26 to 28 October 2025, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia said in an official release on Saturday.
What's expected at ASEAN summit?
During the ceremony, the Signing of the Declaration on the Admission of Timor-Leste into ASEAN will take place, marking its formal admission as the 11th ASEAN Member State, the official statement said.
There’s also a peace deal to be signed on Sunday when Cambodia and Thailand ink a pact to end a deadly border dispute. The ceremony will be presided over by Trump and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, according to Bernama, Malaysia’s state news agency.
“I will sign the great Peace Deal, which I proudly brokered between Cambodia and Thailand,” Trump posted on social media on Sunday.
What will be discussed at ASEAN summit?
Dozens of world leaders at The ASEAN summit will discuss issues like US tariffs and access to rare earth minerals, which are essential to high-tech manufacturing and whose production is dominated by China.
In response to Trump’s tariffs, China has tightened export restrictions on rare earths.
ASEAN Summit 2025 in Malaysia: Who's attending?
US President Donald Trump, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, newly appointed Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will be attending.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak will represent Moscow, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take part virtually.
Beyond the leaders of ASEAN and the East Asia Summit nations, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will be in Kuala Lumpur too, Al Jazeera reported.
It added that the heads of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the International Labour Organization and the International Federation of Association Football, better known as FIFA, will also attend some sessions.