Australian premier Turnbull's political survival will depend on domestic issues

AUSTRALIAN Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull may have reaped some political dividends as host of the Asean summit in Sydney. At the very least, it provided him with a chance to appear statesman-like for a while and turn media attention away from his declining polls numbers. At the end of the week, he may even have convinced some of his own people that the South-east Asia region may contain some valuable partners in an uncertain world.

Certainly, he had a better time than when he engaged in fruitless debates about the rise of China, its claims in the South China Sea as well as Beijing's economic forays in the w…