Chinese President Xi Jinping was unlikely to attend the 49th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Manila later this month, with Premier Li Qiang expected to lead Beijing's delegation, according to a media report.
The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Wednesday that China had traditionally been represented by its premier at ASEAN-related summits rather than its president.
Responding to reports about Xi's expected absence, DFA Assistant Secretary Dax Imperial said the arrangement was consistent with Beijing's established practice.
"On the questions regarding the representative of China for Asean Summits, it is the Chinese Premier (Premier Li Qiang) who attends the Summits, not President Xi," Imperial was quoted as saying by The Manila Times.
However, the Philippine government clarified that it had not received formal confirmation of Li's participation in the November 16โ18 gathering.
"We have not received the official confirmation of Premier Li Qiang's attendance, as this usually comes much closer to the Summit," Imperial said.
๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐น๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ถ๐ท๐ถ๐ป๐ด'๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
The clarification came as the Philippines prepared to host regional leaders and representatives of major dialogue partners for the ASEAN Summit and related meetings.
Earlier this week, the Philippine presidential palace expressed hope that Xi would personally attend the gathering, describing it as an opportunity to address outstanding differences between Manila and Beijing.
Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro said the participation of China's top leadership could provide an opportunity to discuss disputes affecting bilateral relations.
Diplomatic sources, however, indicated that Xi was expected to stay away from the summit, with Li likely to represent China.
Xi has not previously attended an ASEAN Summit in person, although he participated virtually in a special ASEAN-China meeting in November 2021.
The Philippine government maintained that preparations were continuing while awaiting official notifications from participating countries.
๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ด๐ป ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ธ๐
The development followed a telephone conversation on Tuesday between Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
According to the Philippine DFA, Lazaro conveyed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's expectation that Premier Li would participate in the Manila summit.
Wang, in turn, expressed Beijing's anticipation of Marcos attending the 33rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders' Meeting in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19.
Both sides assured each other that their respective leaders would receive appropriate courtesies and assistance during the meetings.
The conversation also addressed bilateral relations, with both governments agreeing on the importance of maintaining communication despite continuing disagreements.
The Philippine Foreign Ministry described the exchange as frank, pragmatic and constructive.
๐ฆ๐ผ๐๐๐ต ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฎ ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ
The diplomatic engagement took place against the backdrop of longstanding maritime disputes between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea.
Beijing claims sovereignty over much of the strategically important waterway, while Manila maintains that several disputed areas fall within its exclusive economic zone.
A 2016 international arbitral ruling rejected the legal basis of China's expansive maritime claims, but Beijing has refused to recognise the decision.
Relations between the two countries have remained strained following repeated confrontations involving their coast guards and disagreements over maritime activities.
Tensions intensified last month after Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan made remarks suggesting that China could easily prevail in a military confrontation with the Philippines.
Manila summoned the ambassador, describing the comments as provocative and unacceptable.
The two countries subsequently exchanged assurances about maintaining diplomatic dialogue and managing disagreements peacefully.
The forthcoming ASEAN Summit was expected to provide another opportunity for regional discussions on maritime security and the proposed South China Sea Code of Conduct.
๐ง๐ฟ๐๐บ๐ฝ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐บ๐บ๐ถ๐
US President Donald Trump and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres were also expected to attend the regional gathering.
Philippine officials had earlier confirmed Trump's planned participation, while the White House indicated that the President would visit Manila on November 16 before travelling to China for the APEC meetings.
The visit was expected to underscore Washington's engagement with Southeast Asian countries and provide opportunities for discussions on economic cooperation and regional security.
Trump was also scheduled to meet Xi during his visit to China, following their talks in the United States in September.
The two leaders had discussed bilateral relations and broader international issues during Xi's September 23โ25 state visit.
Following those discussions, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing and Washington had agreed to pursue a constructive relationship based on respect, fairness and reciprocity.
๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ก ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ
The 49th ASEAN Summit was scheduled to bring together leaders from the bloc's 11 member countries โ Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.
The Philippines also expected participation from leaders of ASEAN's dialogue partners through the ASEAN Plus Three and East Asia Summit frameworks.
ASEAN Plus Three includes China, Japan and South Korea, while the East Asia Summit brings together ASEAN members and eight dialogue partners, including India, the United States, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Russia.
Imperial said formal confirmations from several participating countries were still awaited.
With Manila preparing for the high-level meetings and Shenzhen hosting APEC shortly afterwards, the two gatherings were expected to provide opportunities for diplomatic engagement among major regional and global powers.