The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) strongly denounced the presence of United States President Donald Trump at the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, describing it as a “whitewashing of US imperialism” and an insult to people struggling against oppression worldwide.

In a statement released Tuesday, BAYAN said Trump’s attendance seeks to “reassert US hegemony in Southeast Asia” under the guise of diplomacy and regional cooperation.

The group accused the US of exploiting ASEAN to secure economic advantages, control critical resources, and strengthen its confrontational stance against China.

“Trump’s presence is a maneuver to secure US monopoly interests,” BAYAN said. “The United States aims to lock the region into unequal trade pacts and enforce an economic order that benefits its corporations, at the expense of developing economies.”

The group also condemned what it called President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s “hypocrisy,” saying his calls for diplomacy and restraint in regional tensions ring hollow, while his administration continues to expand US military access and operations in the Philippines.

BAYAN asserted that Marcos Jr. has turned the country into an extension of the US military network, citing the establishment of American bases, the deployment of missile systems, and the conduct of year-round military exercises.

“He has endangered local communities and compromised national sovereignty.”

BAYAN further denounced Trump’s portrayal as a “global peacemaker,” calling it a “facade to conceal the crimes of US imperialism.”

The group said Trump’s policies have perpetuated violence, from supporting Israel’s “genocide in Gaza” to fueling displacement in Southeast Asia through interventions in Thailand and Cambodia.

“The ASEAN Summit is providing a platform for war criminals,” BAYAN said.

The organization also linked current US policies to historical patterns of intervention, invoking the CIA’s “Jakarta Method” and earlier counterinsurgency operations in the Philippines as examples of Washington’s enduring imperialist tactics.

In solidarity with Malaysian protesters who staged demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur despite heavy police presence, BAYAN issued several calls, including:

• An end to US support for Israel’s military operations and other acts of aggression worldwide;

• The dismantling of US military bases across Southeast Asia, including in the Philippines;

• Opposition to economic sanctions and trade policies that “strangle” developing nations;

• The rejection of military exercises such as RIMPAC and Balikatan; and

• The pursuit of independent foreign and economic policies free from imperialist control.

“We call upon the masses of Southeast Asia to unite across borders, strengthen our solidarity, and collectively declare: Down with US Imperialism! The war criminal Trump is not welcome here!” BAYAN declared.