
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), numbering 10 countries and member-to-be East Timor, also known as Timor Leste, is meeting in Jakarta this week in a summit fraught with difficulty.
Leaders will meet from September 5 to 8, in Indonesia’s capital, with United States Vice President Kamala Harris, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and other prominent politicians flying in. But whether ASEAN can reconcile the differences over Myanmar, and stand up for East Timor and the Philippines, is seen as key to its survival as the pre-eminent diplomatic grouping for Southeast Asia.