Donald Trump to attend ASEAN summit in October

US President Donald Trump has "confirmed" that he will attend a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ( ASEAN ) in October, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday, July 31.

"I had the opportunity to speak with US President Donald Trump. He confirmed his participation in the 47th ASEAN Summit in October," the prime minister told Malaysian lawmakers, adding that a 25 percent tariff deal with the US would be announced on Friday.

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The 47th summit of ASEAN, a ten-nation regional bloc whose rotating presidency this year is held by Malaysia, is scheduled for October 26-28 in Kuala Lumpur. In addition to the US president and the heads of state of ASEAN countries, leaders from China, Japan, South Korea, and India are also expected to attend.

The Malaysian prime minister also announced in parliament on Thursday that a tariff agreement with the United States, which has threatened to impose a 25% tax, would be announced on Friday. "The tariff will be announced tomorrow and we pray, God willing, that it helps and does not burden our country's economy," Anwar Ibrahim said.

The announcement of Donald Trump's attendance follows a visit earlier in July by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio , who suggested at the time that the US leader might attend. It also comes a day after the US president announced that he would "probably not" attend the G20 summit in South Africa, scheduled for November.