Iran press/ Asia: The absence of Donald Trump at Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting signals that "the US is maybe not as committed to the region as some of its allies would like to seem like it," Alex Capri, visiting senior fellow at the National University of Singapore told CNBC on Thursday.
US Vice President, Mike Pence is representing Trump at the 33rd ASEAN summit, and is expected to lay out details of America's free and open Indo-Pacific vision during his Asia tour.
China and ASEAN call for the expansion of defense cooperation
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Asean-China Summit at the Suntec convention centre on Nov 14, 2018.
A day after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said he hopes to see consultation on the maritime accord sewn up in three years, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong agreed that parties to the pact should keep to that timeline.
Asean countries and China should aim to complete talks on a code of conduct (COC) for the South China Sea in three years, even if negotiations prove to be tough and complicated.
At the Asean-China Summit at the Suntec convention Centre on Wednesday (Nov 14), PM Lee said he was encouraged by the good progress made in the negotiations for the code, which sets out norms for behavior in the contested waters, started earlier this year.
Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam all stake overlapping territorial claims in the disputed waterway.
"There will be complex and challenging negotiations, we should aim for the completion of the first reading of the code of conduct in 2019, and to complete it in three years as mentioned by Premier Li Keqiang," Lee said at the meeting between the 10 leaders of Asean and Premier Li.
"In the meantime, all parties should maintain restraint, keep a conducive and stable environment for the COC negotiations to proceed smoothly," he added.
In his opening remarks at the meeting, Premier Li said China is ready to work with the South-east Asian nations to reach a deal on the code, which he said will "contribute to peace and stability in the South China Sea and be conducive to free trade".
Lee made three suggestions to keep the momentum of positive Asean-China relations going: To continue to demonstrate the strongest commitment to multilateral trade and economic cooperation; to continue to engage in dialogue and practical cooperation to enhance peace and stability in the region; and to continue to identify new areas of collaboration.
Besides the free trade agreement, fully liberalizing the Asean-China Air Transport Agreement is one way of connecting the economies and drawing them closer, as will mobilizing private capital and the use of financial institutions, such as the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Asian Development Bank, to plug Asean's infrastructure financing gap, said Lee.
As for new collaborations, China and Asean have committed to working closer together in technological innovation and digital economy, as well as developing smart cities.
The two sides adopted at this summit an Asean-China Strategic Partnership Vision, which charts the direction of relations up until 2030.
PM Lee Hsien Loong delivered these remarks at the Closing Ceremony of the 31st ASEAN Summit on 14 November 2017 in Manila, The Philippines.
The ASEAN meetings called for multilateralism and fresh pledges to resolve regional conflicts ranging from the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar to tensions in the South China Sea.
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