Asean will need help with big to-do list
Simon Tay says a packed summit agenda with a number of contentious issues may see Asean struggle to meet the expectations of all nations
Asean leaders gathering in Phnom Penh for the grouping's summit will find their bags packed full of expectations amid global uncertainties and regional tensions. They must carry and unpack their burdens with care. Can positive steps be taken?
US President Barack Obama will be present alongside Chinese leaders, and the summit will be a first place to guess about the future of the world's most important bilateral relationship.
During election campaigning, US voters bemoaned the loss of jobs and Obama wagged a finger at Beijing's trade practices. It remains to be seen whether he will use the Asean summit as a first, informal opportunity to shift to a more positive note.
The summit will also reveal Beijing's attitudes. At the 18th party congress, outgoing leader Hu Jintao underlined China's ambition to become a maritime power amid territorial disputes not only with Tokyo but also a number of Southeast Asian states. Those disputes marred the Asean Ministerial Meeting in July, which ended without an agreed statement for the first time in its history. That was attributed to sensitivities about how to describe disputed claims. At this summit, the rival and unresolved claims cannot be wholly ignored. Yet if discussion is unbalanced, differences can be further inflamed, and for little benefit.
This brings Cambodia into sharp focus as the host. When the July Asean meeting broke down, many fingers pointed to Beijing's influence. Cambodia and China denied this, but the summit will be a second test of intention and ability.
Cambodia must be expected to discharge its responsibility to Asean as a whole. China has always officially supported Asean's central role, and should not divide and weaken the group.