Leaders arrive for 47th Asean Summit, led by Brazil’s Lula and South Africa’s Ramaphosa

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva - Reuters

PUTRAJAYA: Kuala Lumpur will see a flurry of high-level visits on Friday (Oct 24) as more leaders start arriving for the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits, to be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) over the weekend.

Among those arriving at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport later today are Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his spouse Rosângela Lula da Silva, China’s Vice Premier He Lifeng, South African President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa and his spouse Dr Tshepo Motsepe, and Timor-Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão and President José Ramos-Horta.

They will be joined by Finland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen, Asean secretary-general Dr Kao Kim Hourn and his spouse Khen Rany, Timor-Leste’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Bendito dos Santos Freitas, as well as Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono and Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security Affairs Djamari Chaniago.

Other world leaders expected to congregate at the sprawling KLCC include US President Donald Trump, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, European Council president Antonio Costa and Japan’s first female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

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Their arrivals mark the growing momentum ahead of the 47th Asean  Summit and Related Summits, which will be held at the KLCC from Oct 26 to 28.

Under Malaysia’s 2025 Asean Chairmanship theme of ‘Inclusivity and Sustainability’, this summit is set to be one of the largest in Asean’s history, serving as a crucial platform to foster deeper regional collaboration and address global challenges cohesively and inclusively.

The event will also see Timor-Leste’s active participation towards its accession as Asean’s 11th member, expected to be formalised during the summit on Oct 26.

Malaysia’s hosting of the Asean Summit and related meetings comes at a time when the global economy faces mounting pressure from US tariff measures and ongoing geopolitical uncertainties.

Meanwhile, among the key meetings taking place this week are the 26th Asean Economic Community Council Meeting, focusing on the AEC Blueprint 2025, as well as the Asean Geoeconomics Task Force Experts+4 Meeting, which will discuss strategies to navigate intensifying global economic and trade headwinds.

This is the fifth time Malaysia has assumed the Asean Chair since the bloc’s establishment in 1967, following its previous chairmanships in 2015, 2005, 1997 and 1977. - Bernama