The head of state of Myanmar will not attend the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu on May 7-8, 2026, as confirmed by Dominic Xavier Imperial, Deputy Assistant Secretary for ASEAN Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), on May 6, 2026.
Imperial said this information was based on the updated list of ASEAN delegates. It was earlier reported that Myanmar's Junta Chief Min Aung Hlaing would skip the summit due to the ongoing civil war.
"We are guided by the leader's decision when there was a decision before because of the situation in Myanmar, so the decision for the summit is that their Permanent Secretary will represent them, and since the reason hasn't changed and there is no new decision from the leaders, it remains the same. The representation of Myanmar stands," Imperial said on May 6, 2026.
However, he confirmed that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will attend the summit. It is recalled that Myanmar failed to assume the rotating chairmanship of ASEAN in 2026 due to the civil conflict and junta rule, prompting the Philippines to take over the leadership of this summit.
Aside from Myanmar, Imperial announced that the heads of state from 11 other countries will attend: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
The summit will discuss energy, food, safety, security, and crisis mitigation among ASEAN members. It will also tackle the bloc's stance on the South China Sea and a unified voice regarding tensions in the Middle East that affect ASEAN states.
Imperial expressed optimism that the summit would be productive and yield positive outcomes, especially on issues and concerns that the leaders of these countries can address for the development they seek.
"We're actually confident about the declaration on how ASEAN will respond to the Middle East crisis. We do not see any impediment; in fact, we are very encouraged by the commitment of all the ASEAN member states," Imperial said.
"The main purpose really here is for all the member states of ASEAN to come up with measures that will help us respond not just to different situations now but to other future crises," he added.
