Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in the Oval Office, 24 September 2026. File photo, not the proposed Manila or Shenzhen visit. Margo Martin / Wikimedia Commons; U.S. government work, public domain. Source image unchanged; display may crop.
By Wang Jun · 繁體中文
U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a visit to Manila next month to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit before traveling to Shenzhen, China, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, according to people familiar with the matter.
The proposed itinerary would allow Washington to highlight its continued engagement in Southeast Asia while sending a message to Beijing that the United States remains committed to the Indo-Pacific region.
The White House is discussing a trip to Manila from Nov. 16 to 18, with Trump potentially attending the ASEAN summit before holding bilateral talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the South China Morning Post reported on Oct. 2, citing people familiar with the discussions.
If confirmed, it would mark the second consecutive year Trump has attended the ASEAN summit during his current term. He attended the summit in Kuala Lumpur last year and visited Manila in 2017 during his first term to participate in the regional meetings.
People familiar with the matter said the administration is considering placing the Manila visit ahead of Trump’s trip to Shenzhen in order to frame his Asia tour as a broader regional engagement rather than a trip focused solely on China.
Even without explicitly criticizing Beijing, Trump’s presence at the ASEAN summit would signal that Washington intends to maintain its political, economic and security involvement in Southeast Asia.
Trump is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Shenzhen. If the meeting goes ahead, it would be their third face-to-face meeting within a year. Xi is not expected to attend the ASEAN summit.
Several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, which holds the rotating ASEAN chair this year, have been lobbying for Trump to attend the summit, hoping to demonstrate continued U.S. support for the region.
A visit to Manila would also coincide with the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Philippines, giving Washington an opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to the Philippines and other Indo-Pacific allies.
Trump’s possible visit comes as tensions between China and the Philippines remain high in the South China Sea. Chinese and Philippine vessels have repeatedly confronted each other in disputed waters. Washington has long criticized China’s actions in the South China Sea, while Beijing maintains that the United States is not a party to the territorial disputes and should not intervene.
ASEAN is also negotiating with China on a long-awaited code of conduct for the South China Sea, seeking to establish rules to prevent clashes in disputed waters and manage overlapping maritime claims.
The United States has sought to deepen its ties with Southeast Asia, but China’s position as the region’s largest trading partner, combined with Trump’s tariff policies and transactional approach to diplomacy, has raised concerns among regional governments about Washington’s long-term commitment.
Trump’s attendance at the ASEAN summit would give him an opportunity to address those concerns directly. During last year’s summit in Kuala Lumpur, he signed agreements with several Southeast Asian economies, including a critical-minerals agreement with Thailand. He also joined regional leaders in signing a declaration aimed at easing tensions between Thailand and Cambodia, later taking credit for helping defuse the conflict.
The White House is also discussing the possibility of first lady Melania Trump accompanying the president on the Asia trip.
Melania Trump did not accompany Trump on his visit to Beijing in May. Her most recent trip to Asia with the president was a state visit to India in February 2020. The couple’s most recent joint visit to China was in November 2017.
Source record: Wang Jun, AHR contributor article originally published on Medium. This page contains the complete article text. The original AHR file photograph and its credit are retained.
Editorial note: The itinerary, attendance and meetings described above were under discussion in the source reporting and were not an officially confirmed schedule.