Testing time for Asean

Joint effort: Naval ships from Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia in a coordinated patrol along the Straits of Malacca, one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. — Reuters

The South China Sea is experiencing what the Straits of Malacca did – overcrowding by big external powers, making the case yet again for stronger Asean representation

THE Straits of Malacca was once a narrow, shallow and crowded waterway with increasing volumes of international shipping – and little security protection.