Soldiers were deployed in Kuala Lumpur today ahead of a gathering of South-East Asian and world leaders, including US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Soldiers in full battle gear and carrying rifles could be seen patrolling near the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, where the two-day Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) summit was set to begin on Saturday.

A total of 4,500 soldiers would be utilised to ensure high-level security, armed forces chief Zulkefli Mohamad Zin said.

“Some 2,000 personnel will be deployed in the city while the remaining will be on standby at strategic areas around the city,” he said.

The soldiers augmented thousands of police officers who were also deployed around Kuala Lumpur. The intensified security measures were implemented following last week's terrorist attacks in Paris.

Aside from Obama and Xi, eight other non-Asean leaders plan to attend the summit, including UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo Ahn.

Asean is comprised of Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

- dpa