Chinese President Xi Jinping could attend ASEAN Summit in October, joining Trump and other leaders: Anwar
The last time a Chinese president attended an ASEAN-related summit in person was in 1997, when Jiang Zemin attended the first China-ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim gives a speech during an event marking the 58th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, on Aug 8, 2025. (Photo: Facebook/Anwar Ibrahim)
CYBERJAYA, Selangor: Chinese President Xi Jinping could attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in October, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Friday (Aug 8), in what would be a rare in-person appearance by a Chinese supremo at the regional gathering.
Speaking at an ASEAN Day ceremony in Cyberjaya, Anwar said at least four world leaders were expected at the summit, set for Oct 26 to 28 in Malaysia.
“We look forward to welcoming the heads of government of ASEAN and dialogue partners, including US President Donald Trump and I believe Chinese President Xi Jinping,” Anwar said, as quoted by local news outlet The Star.
Anwar, who represents Malaysia as the current chair of the regional bloc, also said he has received “positive indications” regarding the attendance of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Both countries are among ASEAN’s sectoral dialogue partners.
“Securing their presence is only the first step,” he said, as quoted by local media.
“The greater test is to ensure that they leave Malaysia and ASEAN feeling their time was well spent. We must ensure that their visit yields results of lasting value. The eyes of the world will be upon us. We must therefore rise to the occasion.”
If both Xi and Trump attend, it would raise the prospect of a highly anticipated meeting between the two leaders in Southeast Asia, amid strained Sino-US ties over trade, technology and security.
The most recent in-person meeting between Xi and Trump took place in Osaka in 2019 during the G20 Summit. The last time Xi met a sitting US president in person was in November 2024, when he met then-US President Joe Biden at the APEC Summit in Peru.
Anwar had earlier announced on Jul 31 that Trump would attend the ASEAN summit. He said Trump had confirmed his attendance in a phone call.
According to local media, Anwar had extended invitations to both Xi and Chinese Premier Li Qiang to attend the ASEAN Summit during his official visit to China last November.
Meanwhile, Chinese authorities have not commented on Xi’s potential attendance at the regional summit, and state media have not reported on it.
Following Anwar’s remarks on Friday, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan later told reporters that Xi’s participation was still a “possibility”, reported local news site The Sun.
The last time a Chinese president attended an ASEAN-related summit in person was in 1997, when Jiang Zemin attended the first China-ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur.
Xi’s most recent participation in an ASEAN-related event was in 2021, when he virtually attended and chaired an ASEAN-China special summit to mark the 30th anniversary of bilateral dialogue relations.
China typically sends its premier to attend ASEAN-related meetings, a point analysts previously noted to CNA.
This year, Li participated in the inaugural ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)-China Summit in May. He also attended the East Asia Summit held on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos, last October.
Meanwhile, Trump has attended only one ASEAN summit - in 2017, during his first term as president from 2017 to 2021. The last time a US president personally attended the ASEAN Summit was in 2022, when Joe Biden travelled to Phnom Penh when Cambodia was the bloc’s chair.
Then-US Vice President Kamala Harris attended in 2023, followed by then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in 2024.
In his remarks on Friday, Anwar described the upcoming ASEAN Summit as the regional grouping’s “largest and most high-profile gathering of world leaders to date”, according to local news platform New Straits Times.
Economic relations through intra-ASEAN trade and investments are among the key issues that will be discussed by the 10-member bloc and dialogue partners during the summit, Anwar said.
