Overview
- Leaders from ASEAN and partner countries have convened in Manila for the summit, which brings major powers together for high‑level talks and bilateral meetings.
- President Donald Trump is due to attend a sideline meeting of the Quad, a grouping of the United States, India, Japan and Australia, during his visit to the Philippines.
- Philippine authorities have deployed nearly 20,000 police to the capital as activists plan large protests that focus heavily on the US Pax Silica programme and a proposed 1,620‑hectare AI hub that critics say could displace Indigenous families.
- Negotiators on a South China Sea code of conduct remain roughly 80 percent complete, and Philippine officials do not expect the pact to be signed at this summit.
- Myanmar continues to be excluded from top ASEAN sessions since the 2021 coup while some members, notably Thailand, press for its return, a divide that keeps unity on regional security and diplomacy fragile.