VOA News | Tuesday, September 5, 2023 
Southeast Asian Leaders Besieged by Thorny Issues

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Southeast 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 meetings will open Tuesday in the Indonesian capital Jakarta under tight security. The absence of U.S. 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. ASEAN foreign ministers gathered Monday to finalize the agenda for the leaders. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi acknowledged the “many difficult circumstances in the region” that the bloc was facing and should overcome – Read more