Asean assumes greater focus from foreign powers

SEPTEMBER’S global diplomacy will be dominated by the Group of 20 summit in India on the weekend of Sep 9-10. Yet below that international radar screen is the East Asia and Asean summits a few days earlier in Indonesia which are key too.

While the Asean and East Asia summits in Jakarta events are of a lower profile than the G20, the Asean nations are fast becoming a key target of diplomacy for foreign countries outside of Asia-Pacific, including those in North America, Europe and the Middle East. Little wonder perhaps in today’s frenzied geopolitics when South-east Asia has a population of over 600 million covering an area of 1.7 million square miles.

Asean also has a purchasing power parity and gross domestic product of over US$10 trillion that is growing significantly.