MANILA, Philippines | Leaders of the United States, Japan, Australia and India are expected to meet in Manila on November 17 for a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) summit on the sidelines of the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, marking their first leaders’ meeting in two years amid growing concerns over regional security, maritime disputes and global conflicts.
The meeting is expected to take place shortly after US President Donald Trump arrives in the Philippine capital on Tuesday, the final day of the three-day ASEAN summit, according to two people familiar with the preparations cited by Reuters. One of the sources was briefed on the arrangements by the Philippine government.
The anticipated gathering will bring together four major Indo-Pacific powers at a time when maritime security, access to critical minerals and tensions involving major global powers are increasingly important regional concerns.
Critical minerals are expected to figure prominently in the discussions. The leaders are also likely to address the need to keep commercial shipping lanes open and accessible to protect international trade and energy supplies, including concerns over attacks on commercial vessels.
The Manila meeting would be the first Quad leaders’ summit since September 2024, when the four countries met in Delaware, United States, and reaffirmed their commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. It would also be their first leaders’ meeting since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
The Quad, comprising the United States, Japan, Australia and India, is widely regarded as a strategic grouping intended to strengthen cooperation and balance China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific. Its members, however, maintain that the partnership is not directed against any particular country.
The anticipated meeting comes as ASEAN leaders prepare to discuss some of the region’s most pressing security and diplomatic challenges, including tensions in the South China Sea, Myanmar’s continuing civil conflict and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
According to draft summit communiqués reviewed by the Associated Press, Southeast Asian leaders are expected to reaffirm their commitment to international law, peaceful settlement of disputes, and freedom of navigation and overflight. The documents also call for an end to violence in Myanmar, unrestricted humanitarian assistance, inclusive political dialogue and the release of people detained in connection with the conflict.
Myanmar’s military leadership remains excluded from high-level ASEAN meetings because of its failure to implement the bloc’s five-point peace consensus, adopted in April 2021 following the military takeover earlier that year. The agreement calls for an immediate cessation of violence, dialogue among concerned parties, humanitarian assistance and the appointment of an ASEAN special envoy.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro is expected to report to fellow foreign ministers on her recent visit to Myanmar and efforts to encourage compliance with the peace agreement.
On the South China Sea, negotiations between ASEAN and China on a long-awaited Code of Conduct are continuing after more than two decades of discussions. Southeast Asian diplomats told the Associated Press that the negotiations have made progress but are unlikely to conclude this year, with discussions expected to resume in 2027.
China’s Premier Li Qiang is scheduled to meet ASEAN leaders on Monday, November 16, before departing ahead of Trump’s arrival the following day.
The Philippines, which holds ASEAN’s rotating chairmanship this year, is hosting the summit under the theme “Navigating Our Future, Together.” The meetings will also mark the country’s turnover of the regional bloc’s leadership to Singapore.
Founded in 1967, ASEAN has developed into a regional organization of 11 member states, providing a platform for political, economic and security cooperation despite differences among its members.
The Manila meetings are expected to test the region’s ability to maintain diplomatic unity while addressing intensifying geopolitical competition and conflicts that threaten regional stability and international trade.
Si Venus L Peñaflor ay naging editor-in-chief ng Newsworld, isang lokal na pahayagan ng Laguna. Publisher din siya ng Daystar Gazette at Tutubi News Magazine. Siya ay isa ring pintor at doll face designer ng Ninay Dolls, ang unang Manikang Pilipino. Kasali siya sa DesignCrowd sa rank na #305 sa 640,000 graphic designers sa buong daigdig. Kasama din siya sa unang Local TV Broadcast sa Laguna na Beyond Manila. Aktibong kasapi siya ng San Pablo Jaycees Senate bilang isang JCI Senator.
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
- Venus L Peñaflor
