KUALA LUMPUR – Southeast Asian foreign ministers open talks Saturday ahead of a landmark ASEAN summit that will formally welcome East Timor as the bloc’s 11th member and mark U.S. President Donald Trump’s first trip to Asia since returning to the White House.

The meeting serves as a curtain-raiser for the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit which starts on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, followed by two days of high-level engagements with key partners including China, Japan, India, Australia, Russia, South Korea and the U.S.

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Leaders are expected to focus on regional security, economic resilience, and maritime disputes — with U.S. tariffs and shifting global trade patterns looming large over discussions.

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