Chinese Premier Li Qiang to Visit Manila for ASEAN Summit

Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit Manila on November 15 and 16 to attend the 29th China-ASEAN Leaders' Meeting. The visit follows an invitation from Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and occurs as both nations manage territorial disputes in the South China Sea and recent diplomatic friction regarding ASEAN meeting participation.

Beijing intends to use the summit to deepen regional cooperation in energy security, poverty reduction, the digital economy, and artificial intelligence. The broader ASEAN summit, running from November 15 to 18, will also include U.S. President Donald Trump, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

In anticipation of the visit, the Philippine Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a rare directive to its officials following recent anti-China rhetoric. The ministry stated that the president serves as the sole architect of foreign policy and that individual agencies or officials must not independently determine the direction of international relations.