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Al Jazeera

ASEAN Summit: World Leaders Gather in Kuala Lumpur Amid Expectations and Criticisms

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Top leaders from around the world, including nearly two dozen heads of state and international organizations, are converging on Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit. The three-day meeting, which begins on Sunday and runs until Tuesday, will also feature the East Asia Summit, a gathering of leaders from ASEAN nations, the US, China, India, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. ASEAN, comprising 10 member countries with a combined population of 678 million people and a gross domestic product of $3.9 trillion, will induct its 11th member, East Timor, this year.

Key Takeaways:

  • The ASEAN summit will bring together leaders from 10 ASEAN member countries, including East Timor, which is set to become the bloc's 11th member.
  • The summit will also feature the East Asia Summit, which will include leaders from the US, China, India, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
  • US President Donald Trump, Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will attend the summit.
  • Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend virtually.
  • The summit will discuss pressing issues, including US tariffs and access to rare earth minerals, as well as Myanmar's civil war and the proliferation of scam centers in Southeast Asia.
  • Myanmar's acting president, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, will not attend the summit, and the country will not take the helm as next year's ASEAN chair due to its ongoing civil war.
  • The ASEAN summit has been criticized for lack of enforcement mechanism to force members to abide by its rulings, making it different from other regional blocs like the European Union.

Statistics:

  • ASEAN comprises 10 member countries with a combined population of 678 million people.
  • ASEAN has a gross domestic product of $3.9 trillion.
  • ASEAN will induct its 11th member, East Timor, this year.
  • US tariffs for most ASEAN countries range from 10 to 20 percent, while Brunei's tariff rate is 25 percent.
  • Laos and Myanmar have tariff rates of 40 percent.

Sources:

  • Office of the United States Trade Representative
  • Al Jazeera
  • Bernama, Malaysia's state news agency
  • Dezan Shira & Associates
  • ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights

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