Big money but little progress on South China Sea dispute, Myanmar crisis at Asean talks

The empty seat of Myanmar is seen among Aseanleaders attending the 26th Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean)-Japan Summit on Sept 6, 2023. - Reuters

JAKARTA (The Straits Times/ANN): The regional summit of South-East Asian leaders concluded on Thursday with some strides made towards tackling the Myanmar crisis, little progress on the South China Sea territorial dispute and a whopping US$38 billion (S$52 billion) worth of deals in the bag, analysts say.

Expectations were high that Indonesia – chair of Asean in 2023 – would make breakthroughs in resolving the Myanmar conflict, given its vocal criticisms against the atrocities committed there after a military coup in 2021 wrested power from the democratically elected government.