Southeast Asian Leaders to Discuss Key Issues in Australia Summit – Sky Bulletin

As Southeast Asian leaders gear up for a significant summit in Australia, key agenda items are expected to include the geopolitical influence of China and Myanmar’s dire humanitarian situation.

Marking a half-century milestone since Australia became an official partner of the ASEAN bloc, the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit is scheduled to commence in Melbourne on Monday.

Among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, leaders from nine countries are set to attend the three-day event. However, Myanmar is denied political representation at the summit due to its ongoing violence post-coup in 2021. In contrast, East Timor’s representative has been invited as an official ASEAN observer, and Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also extended an invitation to New Zealand’s leader to join the regional discussions in Melbourne.

In anticipation of the summit, Albanese highlighted the importance of ASEAN to Australian foreign policies and regional ambitions, noting, “Australia sees ASEAN at the center of a stable, peaceful and prosperous region.”

Albanese also emphasized the mutual benefits of strong Australia-ASEAN ties, “Strengthening our relationship ensures our shared future prosperity and security,” he expressed.

The 2018 summit in Sydney, Australia’s first time hosting ASEAN leaders, called for action regarding the contested waters of the South China Sea. More recently, Australia and the ASEAN member Philippines have jointly patrolled these waters.

Additionally, Australia has proposed that ASEAN members collectively affirm their support for the 2016 arbitration decision in The Hague that rejected China’s extensive claims in the South China Sea.

Other ASEAN countries with claims conflicting with China’s include Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

The South China Sea disputes and Myanmar’s crisis were central topics at an ASEAN diplomatic meeting earlier in the year, with Laos as the current chair.

Delegates, including International Crisis Group’s deputy director for Asia, Huong Le Thu, note that ASEAN remains divided on approaching China. Simultaneously, the unfolding events in Myanmar pose a significant test to ASEAN’s credibility, according to Le Thu.

Australia’s objectives for the summit encompass maritime cooperation, bolstering economic relationships, tackling climate change, and promoting clean energy initiatives.

Conversely, experts like Melissa Conley Tyler suggest the summit will likely steer away from divisive topics, focusing on areas of mutual interest between Australia and ASEAN nations.

Myanmar’s situation remains critical but may not be the central focus, as the summit seeks to maintain a positive, forward-looking tone, according to Conley Tyler.

With a collective population exceeding 650 million and a GDP surpassing $3 trillion, the ASEAN ensemble includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

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