Southeast Asia will be the centre of diplomatic attention this November, with several key summits taking place in the region. The Asia Media Centre highlights which ones to watch out for.
ASEAN
Details: 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits, 8 - 13 November 2022, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional grouping, comprising 10 member-states in Southeast Asia, focused on regional collaboration and prosperity. The ASEAN Summit is a semi-annual gathering of these 10 leaders. ASEAN also conducts one meeting per year with its external dialogue partners, including New Zealand.
The chairmanship of ASEAN rotates among the 10 member-states annually. Cambodia is the 2022 chair under the theme “ASEAN A.C.T.: Addressing Challenges Together”.
In late October, US President Joe Biden announced he would attend the ASEAN Summit in November, as well as the East Asia Summit, and the G20 Summit in Bali – all in November. Vice President Kamala Harris will attend the APEC Leaders’ Summit.
ASEAN priorities for 2022 have been reconnecting and strengthening unity between member nations and building stability in the region. Alongside global issues such as Covid, rising inequality, and geo-political tensions, ASEAN and Cambodia as chair, have had a key focus on ASEAN member Myanmar. In February 2021, the military junta led a coup against Aung San Suu Kyi and her government, and since then, the junta has been condemned for its actions by many global powers, as other ASEAN members have called for peace.
Read more on Myanmar and ASEAN here: Why is the Myanmar crisis such a challenge for ASEAN? - Al Jazeera
East Asia Summit
Details: 17th East Asia Summit, November 10-13, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
The East Asia Summit (EAS) is an annual leaders’ forum focused on regional cooperation and strategic dialogue on security, political, and economic issues. This summit is usually held alongside the ASEAN leaders’ summit.
The EAS has 18 members: The 10 ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) as well as Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States and Russia.
The EAS membership represents around 53 percent of the world’s population and accounts for 59.5 percent of global GDP. The event can only be chaired by an ASEAN member. The chair of the EAS is the incumbent ASEAN chair – which is Cambodia in 2022.
APEC
Details: APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, 18 - 19 November 2022, Bangkok, Thailand.
The APEC Summit is an annual regional economic forum founded in 1989 with 21 Asia-Pacific members, focused on regional economic integration, and trade and investment liberalisation. New Zealand is a founding member.
In 2021, New Zealand hosted APEC and did so virtually due to Covid. In 2022, the host country is Thailand.
APEC 2022 has had a focus on restoring connectivity lost due to Covid, as well as addressing worsening inequality, key environmental issues and sustainability.
G20
Details: G20 Summit, November 15 - 16, Bali, Indonesia
Alongside these Asia-focused summits, the G20 Summit will also be held in Bali in November.
The G20 summit, held yearly, brings together 19 countries and the EU (as well as guest countries) to address major issues related to the global economy. It was formed in 1999 after the Asian Financial Crisis as a way to bring together the world’s largest industrialised and emerging economies.
In 2022, Indonesia is the current President of G20 and is hosting its key summit. Other member countries are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. Spain is invited as a permanent guest.
The key focuses of G20 for 2022 are global health architecture, digital transformation, and sustainable energy transition.
- Asia Media Centre
