Why does Asean pretend to be united when it’s not?

Southeast Asian leaders divided over Beijing’s territorial claims in the South China Sea will seek to paper over frayed ties and present a united front at a summit with world powers in Laos next week, observers say.

China’s Premier Li Keqiang (李克強), Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are among delegates due to join US President Barack Obama for his swansong in Asia at the three-day Asean summit starting on Tuesday.

The meeting of the leaders of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and its global partners at the “East Asia Summit” follows the G20 summit in Hangzhou ( 杭州 ) on Sunday and Monday.

Asean has more to lose than China from rising geopolitical tensions

The Asean summit, the first to be held in Vientiane for 12 years, takes place amid disarray over members’ opposing stances on China’s claim to virtually all of the South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have conflicting claims with Beijing on the resource-rich area through which US$5 trillion of trade passes annually. Cambodia and Laos – large beneficiaries of China’s foreign aid and investment largesse – have displayed staunch support for Beijing.

Observers say the split will remain at the top of leaders’ minds when they meet, even as they pledge unity publicly in the presence of global leaders.

“The Asean leaders will tiptoe among each other…with Obama and Li Keqiang present, they will play the game of unity, when actually there’s none,” said Charles Santiago, a Malaysian opposition lawmaker who chairs the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights group.

Most Asean countries ‘want to stay out of Beijing’s South China Sea dispute with the Philippines’

Santiago said the ostensible goodwill at the talks would belie “the fact that the US and China are using proxies in the region to fight their battles”.