CYBERJAYA — United States President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa are among the world leaders expected to attend the 47th Asean Summit in Malaysia this October, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar, who represents Malaysia as Asean Chair, said positive confirmations have been received from Lula and Ramaphosa, while Trump has indicated his participation following a recent phone conversation.
“Securing their presence is only the first step. The greater test is to ensure that they leave Malaysia and Asean feeling their time was well spent. We must ensure that their visit yields results of lasting value. The eyes of the world will be upon us. We must therefore rise to the occasion,” he said.
Anwar said this in his address at the 58th Asean Day celebration here today, held in conjunction with the 58th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), themed Towards an Inclusive and Sustainable Asean Future.
The prime minister said anniversaries are moments to reassess and reflect on how far the bloc has come and the journey ahead.
Malaysia, as Asean Chair for 2025, will host the summit in Kuala Lumpur under the theme “Inclusivity and Sustainability”, bringing together leaders from the 10-member bloc and dialogue partners to discuss regional security, economic cooperation and pressing global issues.
Anwar said the vision and contributions of past leaders, who looked beyond domestic concerns to consider the needs of neighbouring countries, the region and the world, remained relevant despite the post-independence challenges and geopolitical tensions faced.
“And I dare say without the least overstatement that the founders of Asean will look to our progress with pride,” he said.
However, he stressed that Asean must not think it had outgrown the motivations and concerns of those who signed the Bangkok Declaration in 1967 — Adam Malik (Indonesia), Tun Abdul Razak (Malaysia), Narciso Ramos (the Philippines), S. Rajaratnam (Singapore) and Thanat Khoman (Thailand).
“The founding fathers of Asean understood that the region’s first task was to ensure that nations of Southeast Asia could live together in amity and cooperation. They also recognised that Southeast Asia must take primary responsibility for its own peace, its own security, and its own prosperity. That conviction still beats at the heart of Asean,” he said, adding that the principle remained relevant today.
