The 47th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit begins on Oct. 26 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The event has always been a draw for other world leaders interested in cultivating friendships in the resolutely impartial region, but this year’s meeting has attracted more than usual.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni are all expected to attend, along with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump hopes to oversee the signing of a peace deal between Cambodia and Thailand on the sidelines of the summit. The U.S. president continues to take credit for ending the five-day military conflict along the countries’ disputed border in July, though the cease-fire is looking shaky. The fighting displaced hundreds of thousands of people—and also shifted domestic politics in both countries, Andrew Nachemson writes.
One important meeting will not be between top leaders but, rather, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. They will convene in Malaysia to discuss China’s recent crackdown on rare-earth exports, as well as Trump’s retaliatory threat of 100 percent tariffs on Beijing starting on Nov. 1.
Which cards does the United States hold in this game of supply chain poker? “Trump may want to break China’s monopoly, but it appears to be too late,” Graham Allison concludes. “There is no easy way to eliminate vulnerabilities created by U.S. reliance on China for vital items.”
For a debrief on ASEAN next week, as well as news from the region every Tuesday, be sure to sign up for FP’s new Southeast Asia Brief, written by Joseph Rachman in Jakarta.—Amelia Lester, deputy editor
Note: FP This Week was delayed due to technical difficulties, but will be back in your inbox at our regularly scheduled time next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment