Southeast Asian countries that comprise the ASEAN economic bloc will meet in the Philippines this week as the region continues to bear the brunt of oil shortages caused by the US-Israel war on Iran, as well as by US-China rivalry, which has hit economies hard.
asserted
which → comprise → economies
The Manila summit will be held from November 15 to 17 and will include US President Donald Trump and several other world leaders.
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summit → hold → Trump
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court → exempt → jail
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list → climb → China
The 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) aims to establish a single market, although it cannot impose decisions on members.
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it → aim → members
It comprises Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and East Timor, with a combined population of nearly 694 million, or 8.4 percent of the world’s population.
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It → comprise → population
Several ASEAN meetings are held annually.
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meetings → hold → ?
This week’s summit is expected to be the final one for this year.
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summit → expect → year
Beyond the energy crisis, other pressing issues include disputes over the South China Sea and trade.
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issues → press → Sea
Here’s what we know:
Who is attending?
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Who → ’ → what
In addition to leaders and representatives from the 11 member countries, other guests include:
- US President Donald Trump – Trump is expected to hold a special summit with ASEAN members on November 17 as Washington’s trade tensions with China continue.
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tensions → include → China
He is also set to hold a one-on-one meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
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He → set → Jr.
Afterwards, Trump is due to head to China for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting on 18-19 November.
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Trump → head → November
- Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney – Carney is set to give a speech at the summit.
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Carney → set → summit
- Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva – His visit will be the first by a sitting Brazilian president to the Philippines.
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visit → sit → Philippines
He is expected to discuss trade, defence and other areas of cooperation with ASEAN members.
asserted
He → expect → members
- Russia Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov – His visit comes after the Russia-ASEAN summit in July.
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visit → come → July
The summit is being held at a time when Southeast Asian countries have been hit hard by shortages in oil and gas supplies from Middle Eastern suppliers amid the US-Israel war on Iran.
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countries → hold → Iran
The Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia are among the most vulnerable to the energy disruptions in the Gulf, with Manila declaring a state of national energy emergency in March.
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Manila → declare → March
Millions of ASEAN citizens also live and work in the Middle East, where the war threatens their safety and earnings.
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war → live → safety
Meanwhile, Asian countries are worried the conflict could spill into the Strait of Malacca, a narrow waterway between Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
uncertain
conflict → worry → Indonesia
The US’s tariff war has seen ASEAN countries slapped with 10-12.5 percent tariff hikes since the beginning of US President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, prompting the bloc to strengthen trade relationships elsewhere.
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countries → see → relationships
South China Sea
China and four ASEAN members – Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam – as well as Taiwan, have been locked in decades of territorial standoffs in the busy waterway.
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China → lock → waterway
The area is important as it is believed to host undersea deposits of oil and gas.
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it → believe → oil
In 2005, the bloc began negotiating a “code of conduct” with China to discourage aggression and prevent major clashes.
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bloc → begin → clashes
The negotiations have often stalled, however, partly due to flared tensions, especially between Manila and Beijing in recent years.
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negotiations → stall → years
In 2023, the two sides agreed to speed things up and release a finished draft this year.
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sides → agree → draft
At least 10 rounds of talks have been held this year, led by Malaysia, with a final round taking place in October.
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round → hold → October
However, analysts doubt a definite conclusion will be reached at the summit this week, meaning talks could continue into next year.
uncertain
talks → doubt → year
Armed clashes broke out between the two ASEAN member states late last year along an 800km (500-mile) contested border area, as well as over competing claims to sacred religious sites, such as the Preah Vihear Shiva temple.
uncertain
clashes → break → temple
At least 150 people were reported to have been killed, and nearly one million displaced.
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million → report → ?
ASEAN members, as well as China and the US, intervened, leading to talks.
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members → intervene → talks
Although a ceasefire has been in place since December, the wider border dispute remains unresolved, and the bloc is calling for more dialogue and the participation of third-party observers.
Myanmar conflict
The ongoing civil war in Myanmar, which has compounded the Rohingya refugee crisis, has been at the top of the agenda as the bloc pushes for the restoration of democracy in the country.
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bloc → remain → country
Multiple rebel forces, some of them ethnic-based armed groups, have been fighting the military government since the country’s February 2021 coup.
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forces → base → coup
ASEAN has already restricted Myanmar’s participation at important summits to non-political representatives as concerns about violence and a humanitarian crisis grow.
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concerns → restrict → violence
The bloc’s five-point Myanmar peace plan, launched in April 2021 and calling for dialogue and improved humanitarian aid access, has meanwhile failed to alleviate the situation.
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plan → launch → situation
Months of widespread wildfires in drought-hit Indonesia have scorched an estimated 2.88 million hectares (7.12 million acres) and resulted in at least 3,500 deaths.
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Months → hit → deaths
The resulting haze has severely impacted not just the country’s residents, but also those in neighbouring Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and East Timor.
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haze → result → Malaysia
Jakarta has faced criticism for failing to effectively respond to the fires, but the government has defended its approach, saying thousands of responders have been deployed.
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thousands → face → responders
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