As the world diplomacy pantry heads to Kuala Lumpur as the host of the 47th ASEAN Summit Leaders' Conference (October 26-28, 2025), the presence of US President Donald Trump appears to be the main highlight. But one thing also stole the spotlight: the absence of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Why did the figure who had been routinely present in conflicts and geopolitical alliances choose to be absent? What is the meaning behind his decision? This article explores a few factors from China’s diplomatic calculations to the position of Malaysia and ASEAN in the great power competition to answer that question.
On October 23, 2025, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim confirmed that President Xi Jinping will not attend the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur; instead, China will send Prime Minister Li Qiang as a deputy. Earlier, regional sources had predicted that Xi would most likely be absent, keeping away from a potential face-to-face meeting with President Trump at the event. (The Straits Times)
With this confirmation, the big question becomes why Xi chose not to attend, just a few months after his visit to Malaysia in April 2025. (Malaymail)
One of the elements often raised by analysts is that Xi's presence at the ASEAN event will open a space for a direct meeting with President Trump something that is intended as a strategic step in the US-China rivalry. In an observation from the ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, a researcher stated:
"Xi's attendance would depend on Malaysia creating the right conditions for Trump and Xi to meet." However, China seems to think that the conditions are not ideal both in terms of protocol, bilateral agenda, and regional diplomatic balance so Xi chose to withdraw.
Other analysis suggests that Xi has previously made a visit to Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, in April 2025, as part of a tour that includes Vietnam and Cambodia. In this sense, Xi's presence at the summit held shortly after the previous visit may be judged by Beijing as inefficient or too hasty.
Some observers highlight that since Xi has been in power, his attendance at the ASEAN summit as supreme leader face-to-face has been rare for example, he attended virtually in 2021. Thus, the sending of Li Qiang as a representative can be seen as part of China's tradition or internal structure for this type of forum without diminishing the meaning of China-ASEAN relations.
Some sources noted that China is facing domestic challenges ranging from an economic slowdown, export pressures and technological competition with the U.S. that may make Beijing more cautious about exposing top leaders in multilateral forums fraught with diplomatic risks. (CNA)
Being the leader of a world-class country means that every public appearance becomes a strategic signal Xi may choose to avoid getting caught up in a complex diplomatic post that could raise expectations too high.
Malaysia as the host of the summit has high hopes for Xi's presence, as a form of recognition of the strategic proximity between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing. But Xi's absence caused diplomatic disappointment as the Financial Times pointed out that Li Qiang's presence was "not the same" for some Malaysians. (Financial Times)Nevertheless, relations between the two countries remain strong in the field of trade and investment; Xi's absence does not mean a fracture in relations, but rather an adjustment of strategy.
Xi's absence presents opportunities as well as challenges for Malaysia and ASEAN. On the one hand, Malaysia as the chair of ASEAN focuses on strengthening the presence of the United States (through the presence of Trump) and other partners, so that China's presence remains represented but not dominant. On the other hand, Xi's absence can be seen as a signal that the ASEAN bloc remains a strategic arena contested by major powers and should not rely on just one single partner. This reinforces ASEAN's position as a "neutral block" or "bridge" between major powers.
Because the highly anticipated Xi-Trump direct meeting is canceled or reduced to a possibility at this summit, the US-China dynamics must be seen through bilateral agendas or other forums, not just through ASEAN. According to analysts:
"Without Xi, ASEAN loses one of the potential pivot points between China and the US." This means that ASEAN remains important but the space for "big meetings" could move to other forums (such as APEC or G20).
Xi Jinping's absence at the 47th ASEAN Summit is not just a matter of one name not coming to a conference but a symbol of a change in the order of global diplomacy. On the one hand, he pointed out that China is more cautious in its maneuvers, considering strategic calculations, domestic agendas and priorities. On the other hand, he showed that ASEAN, and especially Malaysia as the host, must continue to strengthen their relevance among the competing great powers.
For Malaysia, the opportunity to host is not only about receiving big guests but being able to leverage their presence to strengthen the national strategic and economic position. Xi's absence may reduce the symbolic dimension, but it doesn't have to diminish the substance provided Malaysia is able to optimize the presence of other leaders and the agenda that has been set.
For us as observers and the public in Southeast Asia, this is a reminder that the temporality of a great leader's existence on the global stage is often bound by calculations that are much larger than official protocols. And that great power isn't always physically present, but its influence is still felt through the decisions made behind the scenes.
Final words: When Xi is absent, it doesn't mean that China is pulling over, it just chooses its move in a different way. And the 47th ASEAN is setting the stage for broader dynamics, about how the region can play its role not as an object, but as a subject in an increasingly complex global diplomacy.
AM World (tameer.work88@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.
