Will Xi Jinping attend or skip the ASEAN Summit?

MANILA — Malacañang is yet to confirm if Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend or skip the ASEAN Summit this November.

Several reports surfaced saying Xi will skip the regional summit to be held in Manila this month.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro deferred to the Department of Foreign Affairs to confirm the attendees in the upcoming summit.

“Sa ngayon ang lahat na dadalo na mga liderato mula sa ibang bansa sa ASEAN Summit ay ang DFA ang magbibigay sa inyo. At di pa po ako nabibigyan ng anumang authority na i-reveal ang mga lideratong a-attend sa ASEAN Summit,” she said.

A day earlier, Malacañang expressed hopes Xi will still attend the high-level dialogues despite a tense exchange of words between Philippine and Chinese Embassy officials.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News, DFA ASEAN Office Executive Director Dominic Xavier Imperial said they are expecting several world leaders in the summit.

“From the dialogue partners, we expect the leaders from Japan, Korea, China, and Russia, New Zealand, and Australia to come,” Imperial said.

However, the DFA did not confirm if China will be represented by Xi himself or by their foreign minister.

The United Nations Secretary General and several guests of the chair, including representatives from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Prime Ministers of Canada and Brazil, are also set to participate in the summit.