Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong will attend the 48th Asean Summit and related summits in Kuala Lumpur from Oct. 26 to 28.
According to the Prime Minister's office, PM Wong will be accompanied by Mrs Wong and Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan.
At the summit, the Asean leaders will reaffirm their commitment to Asean's community-building efforts and discuss ways to promote an open, inclusive and stable architecture.
The leaders will also discuss strengthening Asean's economic integration by enhancing intra-Asean trade and tapping into emerging areas in the digital and green economies.
In addition, PM Wong will meet with leaders from key partners at Asean's summits, including Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the United Nations, and the United States.
He will also participate in the fifth Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit, which aims to reaffirm the RCEP's role in strengthening regional trade and economic integration amid global challenges.
During PM Wong's absence, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong will be Acting Prime Minister.
Attedance
Among the ASEAN leaders attending the summit, U.S. President Donald Trump is also set to attend.
He will attend the signing of a peace agreement between Thailand and Cambodia.
According to Free Malaysia Today (FMT), Malaysia's foreign minister Mohamad Hasan said on Oct. 14 that Trump is"looking forward" to witnessing the peace deal between the two countries.
Both the U.S. and Malaysia have been working on an expanded ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia following border tensions involving the two countries, reported AP News.
According to The Star, Hasan said that there has been a proposal for both the U.S. and Malaysia to act as facilitators to the peace deal signing.
"We want the violence to stop and for it (the ceasefire) to be overseen by an Asean Observers Team," he added.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is also expected to attend the Asean Summit in KL, along with Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa.
However, two prominent world leaders will not attend the summit in person.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin will be sending Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak in his stead.
Meanwhile, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend in person but will dial in virtually.
Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim confirmed the absence of the two leaders in a .
According to Anwar, Modi informed him in a phone call that he would not be flying to KL as the Deepavali celebrations in India would still be ongoing.
Anwar affirmed the two countries' ties in trade, investment and sectors such as technology.
He also confirmed that Putin would not attend, Bernama reported.
According to Anwar, the Russian president is exploring the possibility of visiting Malaysia in 2026 instead.
While both leaders have ostensible reasons for not attending the Asean Summit, Trump's presence may offer an alternative explanation.
Trump recently slapped steep tariffs on Indian exports to the U.S., to much fanfare, back in August 2025.
The reason? Trump blamed India's purchases of Russian oil and weapons for prolonging the invasion of Ukraine.
Modi has refused to back down or change course, saying India could not accept Trump's trade demands as he needed to protect the farmers.
Instead, he has encouraged Indian consumers to"buy local" as a way to circumvent the U.S. tariffs.
Meanwhile, Trump is reportedly frustrated with the lack of progress on a ceasefire deal between Ukraine and Russia.
He cancelled a planned meeting with Putin in Budapest, Hungary, on Oct. 21, and announced sanctions on Russian state oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil on Oct. 23, in a sign of worsening relations between Moscow and Washington.
Putin has so far shown little interest in stopping the invasion, as the war in Ukraine will soon pass the three-year mark.
