At the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the 2025 ASEAN Chair, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will attend the 47th ASEAN Summit and related high-level meetings from October 25 to 28 in Kuala Lumpur.

This series of summits is considered the most important and largest event during Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025. The meetings will gather leaders from ASEAN member states, Timor-Leste, dialogue partners, the United Nations Secretary-General, and many other international leaders and organizations.

Leaders will assess ASEAN cooperation progress in 2025 under the theme “Inclusive and Sustainable,” and set future directions for building the ASEAN Community.

A highlight of the summit will be the formal signing of the declaration admitting Timor-Leste as an official ASEAN member.

During the ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3, and East Asia Summits, ASEAN leaders and their counterparts will review and promote cooperation in key areas such as trade, investment, market diversification, supply chain resilience, science and technology, innovation, climate change response, disease prevention, and disaster management. Regional and international developments will also be discussed.

A series of side events are scheduled alongside the summits, including:

·        The Mekong-Japan Summit (MJC)

·        ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) 2025

·        Asia Zero Emissions Community Leaders' Summit

·        The RCEP Summit (for members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership)

ASEAN’s trajectory and outlook

After nearly six decades of development, ASEAN has become a successful model of regional cooperation and integration, with growing global influence. The bloc has deepened intra-regional cooperation while broadening ties with global partners, playing a central role in many regional initiatives.

In 2025, ASEAN marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the ASEAN Community and enters the final year of implementing its 2025 Blueprints.

To prepare for the next development phase, ASEAN adopted the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and four strategic pillars -political-security, economic, socio-cultural, and connectivity - at the 46th ASEAN Summit in May 2025. The vision aims to build a “resilient, dynamic, innovative, and people-centered ASEAN.”

Currently, ASEAN is focusing on developing a roadmap and identifying priorities to effectively implement these strategic documents.

Tran Thuong