MANILA - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is set to participate in the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from May 26-27, 2025.

Department of Foreign Affairs Deputy Assistant Secretary Dominic Xavier Imperial said the President will be engaged in various discussions including nine leaders’-level engagements.

 “The President will continue to uphold and promote Philippine interests in ASEAN such as deepening security and stability in the region, economic cooperation and broadening engagement with dialogue partners,” he said in a Palace press briefing Thursday, May 22.  

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 “Furthermore, the President will continue to underscore the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction in accordance with international law including the 1982 UNCLOS and the 2016 arbitral award,” he added.

 The leaders are also expected to discuss other challenges in the region such as the situation in Myanmar and the United States’ new tariffs policy.

 Marcos Jr. is also expected to conduct possible bilateral meetings with his counterparts at the sidelines of the summits such as Laos, Kuwait and Vietnam.

 Imperial also noted that the president will advocate for the swift conclusion of the South China Sea Code of Conduct.

 “The President certainly will push for it. He will raise this with the leaders of the ASEAN. And going back to that statement, it’s a reaffirmation of concluding it hopefully among ASEAN and China in three years since 2023, so we’re looking at 2026, next year,” he stated.

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As of now, the foreign affairs official said they are expecting 22 outcome documents to be issued during the summits.

 These include the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on the ASEAN Vision 2045, the Joint Statement of the 2nd ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit and the Joint Statement of the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit.