Leaders Gather in Asia for Three Summits
ASEAN, Francophonie and APEC meetings bring world leaders to Manila, Phnom Penh and Shenzhen this week.
Updated on Nov. 12, 2026 in International Relations
The 11-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations opens its final leaders' summit of the year in Manila on Sunday, while French President Emmanuel Macron attends a Francophonie summit in Phnom Penh and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit takes place in Shenzhen, China. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney are expected at the ASEAN and APEC meetings.
Why it matters
The maritime dispute in the South China Sea has overshadowed ASEAN events all year, and the Philippines' term as ASEAN chair ends without a signed Code of Conduct with China. Discussions at the summits also bear on the US-China trade relationship, where a pause in the trade war has been extended to Jan 10.
The summits span five days across three cities, with ASEAN's 11 member nations meeting in Manila on Sunday. The trade war pause extended to Jan 10 and the status of a proposed Xi-Trump-Putin meeting at APEC are still unresolved.
The players
Donald Trump
The US president, who attends both the ASEAN and APEC summits and whose administration is weighing trade policy with Asian partners following his party's midterm election defeat.
Xi Jinping
The Chinese president, who is central to the proposed APEC meeting with Trump and Putin and to the US-China trade and AI discussions.
Emmanuel Macron
The French president, who attends the Francophonie summit in Phnom Penh, a gathering of French-speaking nations.
Narendra Modi
The Indian prime minister, who attends the ASEAN meeting as India continues to expand its engagement with Southeast Asia.
Jensen Huang
The chief executive of Nvidia, whose reported scandal threatens to overshadow AI discussions at the summits.
The details
Xi Jinping and Trump agreed in September to set up a communication channel for AI incidents during Xi's visit to the White House. A scandal surrounding Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang threatens to overshadow AI discussions, and a meeting Trump once hoped for with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears unlikely after Pyongyang rejected repeated overtures.
Timeline
September: Xi and Trump agree on an AI incident communication channel during Xi's White House visit.
Sunday: The ASEAN final leaders' summit opens in Manila.
Jan 10: The China-US trade war pause, extended during Xi's September visit, is set to end.
Big Picture
The absence of a South China Sea Code of Conduct at this year's ASEAN summit extends the unresolved maritime disputes that have persisted since the 2016 arbitral tribunal ruling under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Regional diplomacy remains stalled on the same core questions of sovereignty and navigation rights.
Readers following trade costs should watch whether the US-China trade war pause holds past its Jan 10 end date, since that outcome shapes tariffs on goods. The summit results may also affect the prices and availability of imported products in the months ahead.
The takeaway
The outcomes of these three summits will show whether Asia's major powers can narrow disagreements on maritime security, trade and AI, or whether those issues will remain unresolved into the new year.
Further reading
For more on the regional diplomacy shaping these meetings, see International Relations.
