Southeast Asia's summit season has come and gone with takeaways that concurrently eased geopolitical tensions and underlined risks that could lead to future global conflict. The three major summits -- the East Asia Summit (EAS) in Phnom Penh, the G20 in Bali, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) in Bangkok -- also demonstrated that the Covid-19 pandemic over 2020-21 has been practically overcome as in-person meetings are back in full force. Overall, the three hosts came away with mixed highlights.
To be sure, it will be many years, if ever again, that three Asean countries will host these three summits consecutively. While the Asean-related summits featuring the EAS are held annually on a rotational basis in Southeast Asia, with Apec hosted in the region every other year, the G20 is a rare occurrence because Indonesia is its only Asean member. That these three summits aligned in Southeast Asia this month has been extraordinary.
