PM Wong to visit Manila for ASEAN Summit, related meetings from Nov 15

This is the final edition of the ASEAN Summit before Singapore takes over the chairmanship of the regional bloc next year.

Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the plenary session of the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, Philippines on May 8, 2026. (Photo: MDDI)

Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.

MANILA: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will visit the Philippine capital of Manila to attend the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related meetings from Nov 15 to Nov 17.

It is the second of the ASEAN summits this year, and the final edition before Singapore takes over the chairmanship of the regional bloc in 2027.

During the closing ceremony on Nov 17, there will be a symbolic handover of the ASEAN chairmanship from the Philippines to Singapore. The leader of the outgoing chair typically hands over the ceremonial gavel to the leader of the next chair country.

At the Nov 17 event, Mr Wong will, for the first time, lay out Singapore’s plans for its chairmanship, which officially begins on Jan 1 next year.

The Philippines’ chairmanship theme of Navigating Our Future, Together encapsulates ASEAN’s commitment to deepening integration, strengthening economic cooperation and navigating evolving global challenges with unity and cohesion, said Singapore's Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in a statement on Saturday.

Copyright for this text belongs to CNA.