By Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Reporter
Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr is expected to sign three key agreements on trade and regional security as he attends the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur from Oct. 26 to Oct. 28.
This as the Philippines is set to take the helm and assume chairmanship of the regional block in 2026.
Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Angelica C. Escalona on Friday told Palace reporters Mr. Marcos will be attending the signing ceremonies of the Declaration on the Admission of Timor-Leste into ASEAN as its 11th Member; the Signing of the Second Protocol to Amend the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement; and the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area 3.0 Upgrade.
These three agreements are high on Manila’s priority list for the upcoming summit, she noted.
The annual summit is also expected to yield 80 outcome documents, encompassing matters across health, climate change, money laundering, and education.
“The summit is a mechanism for leaders to provide policy direction for ASEAN, build consensus on matters of mutual interests and exchange views on key regional and international issues,” she added.
According to Ms. Escalona, world leaders attending the summit are expected to “discuss various global issues that impact the region and beyond,” including the unrest in Myanmar, economic uncertainties in light of the US tariffs and other geopolitical and economic challenges hounding the region.
ASEAN is composed of 10 members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Timor-Leste is set to become the 11th member on Oct. 26. The last country to become a full ASEAN member was Cambodia, which joined the bloc in April 1999.
Mr. Marcos will depart for Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 25. He will be joined by Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro, Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque, Social Welfare Secretary Rexlon T. Gatchalian and Communications Acting Secretary Dave M. Gomez.
The President will also attend high-level meetings such as the 28th ASEAN Plus Three Summit and 20th East Asia Summit, as well as other bilateral meetings.
He will also attend the 5th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Leaders’ Summit.
“What will be discussed here is the leaders’ direction in enhancing RCEP implementation and the exchange of views on regional and international issues—and this is what I got from the [Department of Trade and Industry],” Ms. Escalona said in Filipino.
“In all these engagements, the President will advance Philippine interests in ASEAN by strengthening security and stability, by enhancing economic cooperation and broadening engagement with dialogue partners.”
ASEAN Studies lecturer at De La Salle-College of St. Benilde Josue Raphael J. Cortez said RCEP members must work to strengthen trade relations and consider expanding to include more countries from the Global South.
RCEP is composed of 15 members, including the 10 ASEAN countries and Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.
“Given that the majority of the membership is comprised of trading partners of Washington, RCEP may be maximized as a platform where its members may jointly negotiate with the US, while also diversifying its trading relations with other like-minded nations,” he said via Facebook Messenger.
However, given China’s participation, he noted that RCEP must carefully balance interests and uphold its identity as an independent, inclusive trade organization rather than a proxy for any superpower.
ASEAN-CHINA
Despite regional tensions in the South China Sea with Beijing, Ms. Escalona noted the dispute is “not the sum total of our relations with China,” noting the regional bloc has important economic ties with the world’s second-largest economy.
“The ASEAN-China Free Trade Area is considered one of the most important economic partnerships of ASEAN,” she said. “By upgrading [to] 3.0, it will become more comprehensive and aligned to global realities. So, the cooperation between green and digital economies will continue, and this will also empower micro, small, and medium enterprises.”
According to the ASEAN website, negotiations for the upgrade concluded in October 2024, during the 27th ASEAN-China Summit held in Vientiane, Laos.
Established in 2002 as ASEAN’s first FTA with an external partner and China’s first FTA, the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area remains a cornerstone of regional trade cooperation.
The latest upgrade aims to make the agreement more relevant, future-ready, and responsive to global challenges, building on the 2015 enhancements that improved rules of origin, customs procedures, trade facilitation, investment, and services market access, ASEAN further noted.
CHAIRMANSHIP
On the last day of the summit, Malaysia will officially turn over the chairmanship of the ASEAN to the Philippines.
Leadership of the regional bloc changes annually and goes by alphabetical order. The Philippines last hosted the bloc in 2017.
“Building upon the success of previous ASEAN Chairs, the Philippines will take this opportunity to introduce how we will steer the future of the region and beyond by galvanizing community-building efforts during our chairmanship,” Ms. Escalona said.
Francis M. Esteban, a faculty member at the Far Eastern University Department of International Studies, said the upcoming summit will be a litmus test for how the Philippines navigates its middle power status in the region.
During its leadership, Manila must ensure the regional bloc remains consistent with its objective of a rules-based order in the region, especially noting the South China Sea dispute.
The waterway, where about a third of global trade passes through annually, is being claimed by five ASEAN members alongside China.
Mr. Esteban added the Philippines must also make an avenue for discussions on global issues outside the region, noting the war in Ukraine, Israel’s “apparent genocide towards Palestinians,” and other concerns, such as artificial intelligence (AI), migration and climate change.
As the Philippines prepares to assume the ASEAN chairmanship in January 2026, Mr. Cortez said it must focus on three key priorities: ensuring freedom of navigation and rule of law in the South China Sea, establishing a regional framework for resolving territorial disputes and advancing a unified ASEAN approach to digital innovation and AI.
Manila should lead efforts to create a comprehensive regional plan to manage maritime tensions, particularly given that five ASEAN members are claimants in the South China Sea.
Mr. Marcos, at the last ASEAN Summit last May, said Manila will work on a legally binding code of conduct at the disputed waterway.
However, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Malaysia and Thailand are ASEAN members tilted towards Beijing due to economic and political ties.
China has continuously harassed Philippine vessels and fisherfolk despite a United Nations-backed 2016 ruling in favor of Manila.
“With five ASEAN member states as claimants—and Manila at its forefront—one cannot easily overlook the need to institute a regional strategy plan to ensure that any aggressive actions within these bodies of water would not debilitate the region’s order and stability,” he said.
Mr. Cortez noted that a framework navigating maritime disputes should move beyond voluntary political declarations and aim to prevent external powers from exploiting internal disputes, thereby strengthening ASEAN’s unity and stability.
At the same time, he said, the Philippines should champion the development of a region-wide AI policy that addresses the challenges posed by automation to the region’s largely low-skilled workforce.
While ASEAN already has an AI roadmap, it must be refined to reflect member states’ specific needs and promote collective strategies for reskilling and upskilling workers across the region, he added.
ASEAN-US RELATIONS
Media reports have indicated that US President Donald J. Trump will be attending the summit to witness the peace declaration between Thailand and Cambodia.
However, Ms. Escalona said the Philippines is still awaiting Malaysia’s official announcement on whether Mr. Trump will attend the summit.
The US leader’s attendance at the ASEAN Summit underscores Washington’s continued interest in Southeast Asia and reinforces ASEAN’s credibility as a regional bloc, said Mr. Cortez.
His visit, coinciding with trade talks with Beijing and a peace deal between Thailand and Cambodia, signals a strategic effort by the US to maintain influence in the region despite recent tariff measures, Mr. Cortez noted.
For ASEAN—particularly the Philippines—the summit presents an opportunity to engage Washington on reducing tariffs by highlighting the bloc’s strengths in critical minerals, electronics, and semiconductors, and by positioning ASEAN as a viable trade partner balancing ties with both the US and China.
“This platform may also be utilized by the Philippines — its closest partner — along with the rest of ASEAN to try negotiating with their American counterparts by leveraging what they can offer with the hopes of reducing the imposed tariffs more,” said Mr. Cortez.
Mr. Trump had imposed 19% duty on many goods from five members of the ASEAN — the Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. It took effect on Aug.7.
Ms. Escalona noted that the Philippines’ priority is to engage the US constructively, particularly in the economic field, in coordination with ASEAN partners.
While she could not confirm if US tariffs would be discussed, Ms. Escalona said the Philippines seeks to strengthen ASEAN trade and maximize existing free trade agreements.