ASEAN Summit Manila: Trump to Join Final Talks Tuesday on Sea Disputes

Southeast Asian leaders gather in Manila on Sunday for the annual ASEAN summit, with US President Donald Trump set to join the final talks on Tuesday, closing three days dominated by the South China Sea, Myanmar's civil war and the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. The ASEAN summit in Manila opens in a guarded convention centre on Manila Bay, and drafts seen by the AP call for peaceful resolutions to the region's conflicts.

Key Points

• The three-day ASEAN summit starts Sunday, November 15, 2026, in Manila Bay, with the Philippines holding the rotating chair.
• Trump lands with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday afternoon, after the main meetings end.
• Trump joins three meetings on Tuesday night, including a special ASEAN summit and a Quad meeting.
• Draft communiques urge peace in the South China Sea, Myanmar and the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.
• China's Premier Li Qiang meets ASEAN leaders on Monday and leaves before Trump arrives; the code of conduct will not be finalised this year.

What Happened

ASEAN foreign ministers met in Manila on Saturday for pre-summit talks, posing for a joint photo with their national flags behind them. The talks were hosted by Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro, who reported on a recent trip to Myanmar, where she pressed the authorities to do more to comply with a five-point peace plan drawn up by ASEAN leaders five years ago.

The main summit begins on Sunday in the Manila Bay convention centre. Trump lands on Tuesday afternoon with Rubio, after the main ASEAN meetings have concluded and the Philippines has turned over the annual leadership to Singapore. Philippine officials said he will then join three meetings on Tuesday night, including a special ASEAN summit and a Quad meeting. China's Premier Li Qiang will meet ASEAN leaders on Monday but will leave before Trump arrives, so the two most powerful outside players at the summit will not cross paths in Manila.

Background: ASEAN at a Glance

ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is a conservative regional bloc of 11 democratic and authoritarian states. It has held such a diverse grouping together since its founding in 1967 largely because of its bedrock policy of non-interference in the members' domestic affairs.

ASEAN is known more for photo opportunities that project unity than for effectively dealing with the region's conflicts, including the civil war in Myanmar. Myanmar's leader and foreign minister are banned from the bloc's annual meetings for failing to comply with the peace plan, which demands an immediate end to the fighting. The Quad foreign ministers met in Atlanta in October to prepare for a leaders' summit on the ASEAN sidelines, and Tuesday night's Quad meeting in Manila is the follow-through on that plan.

ASEAN Summit Manila: What the Draft Communiques Say

According to drafts of the prepared post-summit communiques seen by the AP, no breakthroughs are expected. The discussions will focus on calling for the peaceful resolution of the South China Sea disputes, the civil strife in Myanmar and the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.

On the South China Sea disputes, which involve China, Taiwan and four ASEAN members — Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam — substantial progress has been made in negotiations for a non-aggression pact called the code of conduct between Beijing and the regional bloc, three Southeast Asian diplomats told the AP. They said, however, that the pact, which has seen more than two decades of consultations and negotiations, will not be finalised this year, and negotiations will resume next year. The pact aims to prevent on-and-off confrontation in the disputed waters from degenerating into a full-blown conflict that can endanger Asia's economies.

Reactions and Quotes

The draft communique language is the clearest public signal yet of what the leaders will say. "We reaffirmed our shared commitment to upholding international law, including the United Nations Charter," the prepared statement says. It also underlines the "importance of the peaceful resolution of disputes, upholding freedom of navigation and overflight and other lawful uses of the sea, including the right of transit passage in straits used for international navigation."

On Myanmar, the communique language is blunt for ASEAN: it urges "all parties to commit to an immediate cessation of violence, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, inclusive dialogue with all stakeholders and the unconditional release of all those unjustly detained."

Why It Matters

The South China Sea is one of the world's most important waterways, carrying a large share of global trade, and the disputes there pit China against four ASEAN members and Taiwan. A code of conduct that actually constrained behaviour would matter enormously to the region's economies; a code that never arrives leaves the risk of a confrontation at sea that could spiral.

Myanmar's civil war has dragged on for years, with a humanitarian toll ASEAN has been unable to stop. For the United States, the Manila stop is part of a wider Asia trip: Trump arrives as the bloc's guest for the final talks, then heads to China for the APEC summit, where the White House has confirmed a first-ever trilateral meeting with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin on Thursday, November 19.

What Happens Next

The summit opens on Sunday in the Manila Bay convention centre, with the Philippines chairing the leaders' sessions. On Monday, China's Premier Li Qiang meets ASEAN leaders, before departing ahead of Trump's arrival. On Tuesday, the Philippines hands the bloc's annual leadership to Singapore, Trump lands in the afternoon with Rubio, and the final round of meetings takes place that night, including the special ASEAN summit and the Quad leaders' meeting.

From Manila, Trump travels to China for the APEC summit in Shenzhen, where the trilateral meeting with Xi and Putin is set for Thursday, November 19 — a separate event from the Manila talks, but the one the whole Asia trip is building toward.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the ASEAN summit in Manila start?
The three-day summit starts on Sunday, November 15, 2026, in Manila Bay, Philippines.

Is Donald Trump attending the ASEAN summit?
Yes, but only for the final talks. He lands Tuesday afternoon with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and joins three meetings that night.

What is on the summit agenda?
Draft communiques call for peaceful resolutions to the South China Sea disputes, the civil strife in Myanmar and the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, with no breakthroughs expected.

What is the South China Sea code of conduct?
It is a non-aggression pact negotiated between China and ASEAN for more than two decades, aimed at preventing confrontations in the disputed waters from becoming a full-blown conflict. It will not be finalised this year.

Why is Myanmar's leader banned from the summit?
Myanmar's leader and foreign minister are barred from ASEAN's annual meetings because the government has failed to fully comply with the bloc's five-point peace plan, which demands an immediate end to the fighting.