ASEAN Summit to Proceed in May, but Preparatory Meetings Will Be Shifted Online |
ASEAN Beat | Diplomacy | Southeast Asia
ASEAN Summit to Proceed in May, but Preparatory Meetings Will Be Shifted Online
The economic ramifications of the war in Iran are likely to dominate the May 8-9 ASEAN Leaders’ Summit in Cebu.
Southeast Asian officials attend the 32nd ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Retreat in Taguig, Philippines, Mar. 13, 2026.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will hold its next summit as planned in May, but will shift a large proportion of its preparatory meetings online in order to conserve energy amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.
In light of the disruption of energy supplies, the Philippines, the bloc’s current chair, said that it is scaling down non-essential activities “in order to save on expenses and focus on the most important,” Executive Secretary Ralph G. Recto said on Friday. As part of this downsizing, approximately 650 pre-summit meetings will be shifted to a virtual format.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told reporters that he had consulted with his ASEAN counterparts and reached a consensus to proceed with the in-person May summit, but that the upcoming meetings would be “very bare bones.”
“The question that we – that I asked them is very simple. Would you like – would you prefer, because everybody is busy with the oil crisis that’s going on because of the war in the Middle East, would you like to postpone the ASEAN Summit? The consensus that we came to is that it is precisely now that we must coordinate our efforts,” Marcos told reporters.
“So, that is what we are going to do. We will push through with the ASEAN Summit, but the way that we described it is that we have – it is a bare bones ASEAN Summit.”
The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in February has prompted Tehran to obstruct most traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, prompting a global energy shortage that has driven up prices in many parts of the world. The impact has been particularly significant in Asia, the destination of more than 80 percent of the crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) that traverses the Strait.
Within ASEAN, governments have scrambled to respond to the shortages, which threaten to induce a recession comparable to that of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have been forced to ration fuel, declared four-day workweeks, and ordered civil servants to work from home. They have also prompted a search for alternative sources of energy: some Southeast Asian nations have turned to Russia for oil, while others have ramped up coal-powered electricity plants to compensate for the shortfall of LNG.
ASEAN has expressed its concerns about the potential impacts on the region, calling for a swift resolution of the war. On March 13, the bloc’s foreign ministers “expressed serious concern” over the continued escalation of the conflict, and “called on all parties concerned to exercise utmost self-restraint, avoid any acts that may further aggravate the situation, and resolve differences through diplomacy and dialogue.”
ASEAN’s economic ministers also said that if the war is prolonged, it could “pose sustained challenges to the global economic outlook” and “impact economic security and stability, the livelihoods of millions of people in the region, and hinder economic progress in ASEAN.”
The 48th ASEAN Leaders’ Summit will take place on May 8-9 in Cebu, bringing together leaders from the 11 ASEAN member states. They will then gather for a second time in Manila on November 10-12.
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The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will hold its next summit as planned in May, but will shift a large proportion of its preparatory meetings online in order to conserve energy amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.
In light of the disruption of energy supplies, the Philippines, the bloc’s current chair, said that it is scaling down non-essential activities “in order to save on expenses and focus on the most important,” Executive Secretary Ralph G. Recto said on Friday. As part of this downsizing, approximately 650 pre-summit meetings will be shifted to a virtual format.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. told reporters that he had consulted with his ASEAN counterparts and reached a consensus to proceed with the in-person May summit, but that the upcoming meetings would be “very bare bones.”
“The question that we – that I asked them is very simple. Would you like – would you prefer, because everybody is busy with the oil crisis that’s going on because of the war in the Middle East, would you like to postpone the ASEAN Summit? The consensus that we came to is that it is precisely now that we must coordinate our efforts,” Marcos told reporters.
“So, that is what we are going to do. We will push through with the ASEAN Summit, but the way that we described it is that we have – it is a bare bones ASEAN Summit.”
The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in February has prompted Tehran to obstruct most traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, prompting a global energy shortage that has driven up prices in many parts of the world. The impact has been particularly significant in Asia, the destination of more than 80 percent of the crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) that traverses the Strait.
Within ASEAN, governments have scrambled to respond to the shortages, which threaten to induce a recession comparable to that of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have been forced to ration fuel, declared four-day workweeks, and ordered civil servants to work from home. They have also prompted a search for alternative sources of energy: some Southeast Asian nations have turned to Russia for oil, while others have ramped up coal-powered electricity plants to compensate for the shortfall of LNG.
ASEAN has expressed its concerns about the potential impacts on the region, calling for a swift resolution of the war. On March 13, the bloc’s foreign ministers “expressed serious concern” over the continued escalation of the conflict, and “called on all parties concerned to exercise utmost self-restraint, avoid any acts that may further aggravate the situation, and resolve differences through diplomacy and dialogue.”
ASEAN’s economic ministers also said that if the war is prolonged, it could “pose sustained challenges to the global economic outlook” and “impact economic security and stability, the livelihoods of millions of people in the region, and hinder economic progress in ASEAN.”
The 48th ASEAN Leaders’ Summit will take place on May 8-9 in Cebu, bringing together leaders from the 11 ASEAN member states. They will then gather for a second time in Manila on November 10-12.
Sebastian Strangio is Southeast Asia editor at The Diplomat.
Philippines ASEAN chairmanship 2026