Philippines Officially Jabat Ketua ASEAN 2026, KTT Bakal Fokus Sengketa Laut China Selatan

The ASEAN 2025 Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Ist)

JAKARTA - The Philippines has officially accepted the position of Chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for 2026.

The regional dispute agenda in the South China Sea will be the focus of the Philippines when Manila holds the ASEAN Summit in 2026.

Symbolically Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim handed over the leadership of ASEAN 2026 to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos at the close of the ASEAN 2025 summit meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

"On the first day of 2026, ASEAN will start a new chapter," said Anwar, quoted from AFP.

ASEAN's leadership for 2025 is held by Malaysia. One of the agendas at the ASEAN 2025 Summit is the joining of Timor Leste in the Southeast Asian regional block.

The Philippines is known to be one of four ASEAN member countries, along with Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam, who claim each other the South China Sea.

The four countries are in dispute with China which also has broad sovereignty claims over the strategic waters, although there was an international ruling in 2016 which concluded that this had no legal basis.

Tensions between China and the Philippines, particularly those related to the disputed South China Sea, occur regularly.

"The South China Sea has only become the focus as land incidents heat up ... and it has indeed heated up," said a Southeast Asian diplomat at the ASEAN summit, who spoke on condition of anonymity.