PM Wong to attend three-day ASEAN summit in Kuala Lumpur

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will attend the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit from Sunday (Oct 26) to Tuesday in Kuala Lumpur.

To be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre beside the Petronas Twin Towers, the summit is taking place at a time of heightened geopolitical and economic uncertainties, with the bloc’s integration and resiliency set to be on the agenda.

Its theme – Inclusivity and Sustainability – “encapsulates the region’s efforts to build a forward-looking, cohesive, and resilient ASEAN amid geopolitical and geoeconomic challenges”, said a statement from Singapore’s Prime Minister’s Office on Saturday.

Leaders of the regional bloc will reaffirm their commitment to community building efforts and discuss ways to promote “an open, inclusive, and stable regional architecture”, it added.

Talks will also touch on how to strengthen ASEAN’s economic integration by enhancing trade within the bloc and tap emerging areas in the digital and green economies, the statement said.

At the summit, Mr Wong, who is also Singapore’s finance minister, will meet with leaders from key partners including Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Nations and the United States.

The prime minister will also participate in the 5th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit, which seeks to reaffirm the trade bloc’s role in strengthening regional trade and economic integration amidst global challenges, according to the statement.

RCEP is the world's largest trade bloc. Its members are the 10 ASEAN countries, as well as China, South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

The upcoming summit is the second one hosted by Malaysia as this year’s ASEAN chair.

The first was held in May, with how the regional grouping could tackle the challenges caused by the United States’ “Liberation Day” tariffs dominating discussions. Then, ASEAN leaders called for the bloc to stay united but flexible in face of tariff threats, and held meetings with China and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The upcoming summit is expecting more external leaders. Besides the leaders of the 10 ASEAN member states, the attendees are set to include the likes of US President Donald Trump, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and newly sworn-in Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also attending the summit virtually.

The biggest newsmaker at the summit will no doubt be Trump, said analysts that CNA spoke to, adding that his presence is significant for ASEAN and shows the bloc is an important diplomatic platform.

But ahead of Trump's arrival, hundreds of protestors gathered in the Malaysian capital on Friday afternoon to rally against his attendance.

The upcoming ASEAN summit will also mark a major milestone, with Timor-Leste’s admission as the grouping’s 11th member at a signing ceremony on Sunday.

Timor-Leste’s formal inclusion marks the end of a 14-year process since its initial application to join the bloc. This is also ASEAN’s first expansion in over two decades.

For this trip, Mr Wong will be accompanied by his wife, Mrs Wong, and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

In his absence, Deputy Prime Minister and Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong will be the Acting Prime Minister.