South-East Asian leaders are besieged by thorny issues as they hold an Asean summit without Biden; Myanmar problems top of the pile

From left to right, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Zambry Abd Kadir, Philippines' Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Thailand's Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sarun Charoensuwan, Vietnam's Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD, Indonesia's Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Laos' Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, Brunei's senior official Johariah Wahab, Cambodia's Foreign Minister Sok Chenda Sophea, East Timor's Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas, and AseanSecretary General Kao Kim Hourn, hold hands during a family photo session during the 27th Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) Political Security Community Council (APSC) Meeting ahead of the ASEAN Summit, at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, Sept. 4, 2023. - AP

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP): South-East Asian leaders led by Indonesian host President Joko Widodo are gathering in their final summit this year, besieged by divisive issues with no solutions in sight: Myanmar’s deadly civil strife, new flare-ups in the disputed South China Sea, and the longstanding United States-China rivalry.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meetings will open Tuesday in the Indonesian capital Jakarta under tight security. The absence of US President Joe Biden, who typically attends, adds to the already somber backdrop of the 10-state bloc’s traditional show of unity and group handshakes.