News analysis

US-Asean summit more a pledge of commitment than a showcase of substantive action

US President Joe Biden meeting Asean leaders at the US-Asean Special Summit in Washington on May 13, 2022. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
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BANGKOK - There was a wide range of agendas at play at this week's special summit in Washington DC between United States and Asean leaders, but it was fundamentally a pledge of US commitment to South-east Asia.

It gave a teaser of Washington's initiatives rather than clear answers to some of the region's biggest questions.

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