Marcos secures full backing for Philippines’ 2026 ASEAN Chairmanship

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has received full support from his Asian and Western counterparts for the Philippines’ hosting of the Southeast Asian Nations Summit and related meetings next year, during his attendance at 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Joseph Carney, and European Council President António Costa conveyed their support in separate bilateral meetings with Marcos on the sidelines of the summit on Sunday.

“Prime Minister Hun Manet expressed Cambodia’s strong support for the Philippines’ upcoming ASEAN Chairmanship in 2026,” Malacañang said a statement.

Aside from endorsing the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairmanship, Marcos and Anutin affirmed their commitment to “work closely to boost tourism, trade and investments, as well as engagements with the private sector,” the statement added.

In his meeting with Carney, Marcos thanked Canada for its steadfast support and cited shared values on the rules-based international order, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Manila has been engaged in a tense territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea, with Beijing rejecting the 2016 arbitral ruling favoring the Philippines.

Meanwhile, the statement said Costa expressed well wishes and full support for the Philippines’ upcoming Chairsmanhip of ASEAN in 2026. “The two leaders emphasized the importance of continued engagement and collaboration in trade and reaffirmed commitment to multilateralism and strengthening the international rules-based order,” it stated.

Marcos also held a separate bilateral meeting with Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister, Takaichi Sanae.

Malaysia will officially hand over the ASEAN Chairmanship to the Philippines in a ceremony on Oct. 28 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, where the summits are currently being held.