Macron in Vietnam, ASEAN summit, Future of Asia

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

20250523 Emmanuel Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to meet with Vietnamese Communist Party Chief To Lam and President Luong Cuong. © Reuters

Welcome to Your Week in Asia.

French President Emmanuel Macron touches down in Vietnam as part of a regional tour, during which bilateral deals will be sealed and he will speak on defense issues.

Regional diplomacy continues when ASEAN leaders meet in Kuala Lumpur, with Malaysia also hosting a meeting between the bloc, Gulf States and China.

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SUNDAY

Macron starts Southeast Asia tour

Macron begins his Southeast Asia tour, arriving in Vietnam on Sunday evening. Macron is scheduled to meet with Communist Party Chief To Lam and President Luong Cuong, and witness a signing ceremony for bilateral agreements. He will then go to Jakarta to meet with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, followed by a trip to Singapore to deliver a keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue on Friday.

MONDAY

ASEAN summit

Amid rising global tensions, Southeast Asian leaders will convene in Kuala Lumpur for two days for the ASEAN Summit, with Malaysia using its chairmanship to strengthen the bloc's role as a stabilizing force in the region and address the situation in Myanmar. Following this, Malaysia will host the inaugural ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council-China Summit, where leaders are expected to address growing U.S. tariff pressures, deepening geopolitical rifts and regional crises.

Data: Singapore manufacturing index

TUESDAY

Seven & i annual shareholders meeting

Japan's Seven & i Holdings, owner of the 7-Eleven convenience store chain, will hold its annual shareholders meeting as the Alimentation Couche-Tard buyout saga rumbles on. The focus will be on how management explains its strategy for breaking out of the current situation, which has prompted Seven & i's stock price to fall about 20%.

China and Pacific Islands hold foreign ministers meeting

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be hosting 11 of his counterparts from China-friendly Pacific countries in Xiamen for the third China-Pacific Island Countries Foreign Ministers' Meeting as Beijing aims to bolster its relationships with Pacific nations and deepen its influence in the region. This marks the first in-person gathering of its kind in China, following an online meeting and another held in Suva, Fiji.

WEDNESDAY

Nvidia earnings

The AI chip leader's performance will be a major test of how well it is weathering geopolitical uncertainty and China's DeepSeek shock. CEO Jensen Huang recently revealed the company's sharp market share drop in China, and slammed U.S. chip curbs as a "failure."

IPO: Oasis Home Holding

THURSDAY

Future of Asia

Nikkei will host the 30th Future of Asia forum, its flagship annual conference, in Tokyo over two consecutive days. This year's main theme is "Asia's challenge in a turbulent world." Political leaders set to attend the event include Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus, Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith and Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr.

Early voting begins in South Korea

Early voting for South Korea's June 3 snap election will be held for two days as voters select a replacement for impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol. South Koreans are seeking a leader who can boost the economy and quell political chaos spurred by Yoon's martial law declaration last year.

Monetary policy: Bank of Korea

FRIDAY

Shangri-la Dialogue

Singapore will host top military brass from around the world at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue defense summit, which will stretch over the weekend, with issues ranging from the Ukraine war to Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip set to be discussed at the conference.

India's gross domestic product

India is set to report its gross domestic product growth for the January-March quarter and the fiscal year through March. In February, the government forecast full-year growth of 6.5%, down sharply from the 8.2% registered in the previous fiscal year. Still, the country remains the fastest-growing major economy, with growth coming in at 6.2% in the October-December quarter.

Data: Philippines trade, China manufacturing purchasing managers index

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