Leaders of the 11-member Association of South-East Asian Nations meet in Manila on Saturday for three days of talks. They face tricky issues like the war in Iran and South China Sea disputes. China’s prime minister, Li Qiang, will join them, while Donald Trump may attend for only 30 minutes.
Leaders of the 11-member Association of South-East Asian Nations will meet in Manila on Saturday for three days of discussions on "Navigating Our Future, Together". There is tricky terrain ahead. The war in Iran has slashed energy supplies and driven up fuel prices. Territorial disputes in the South China Sea remain a perennial problem: despite years of negotiations, the bloc and China are unlikely to meet the December deadline to sign a code of conduct for the contested waters. New fighting has broken out between Cambodia and Thailand; Myanmar's civil war grinds on.
China's prime minister, Li Qiang, will join them, as will Donald Trump -- for the last 30 minutes, according to rumours about the American president's schedule. He will probably meet other leaders of the Quad -- a loose security coalition of America, Australia, India and Japan -- on the summit's sidelines. After the Republicans' drubbing in the midterms, Mr Trump may be glad to get back to foreign policy.