The next two weeks sees global leaders meet at three summits in Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand. Ardern will attend two of them, while it looks like Vladimir Putin will attend none, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in this excerpt from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday morning, sign up here.
EAS the first of three major summits in East Asia
Just when you thought you’d familiarised yourself with Cop27 as a frequently occurring news acronym (FONA?), we’re now into a jam-packed couple of weeks of acronymic leaders’ forums in South-East Asia. Here’s your rough guide. The first is the East Asian Summit (EAS) in Cambodia –a meeting of the 10 South East Asian countries which form the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), plus eight other countries with interests in the region including the US, Australia, New Zealand, China and Russia. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has just wrapped up her time at the EAS, releasing her speech this morning. We secured an upgraded trade deal with ASEAN. As Ardern said, “We now trade more with ASEAN in a week than we did in a year in the early 1970s.”
Condemnation of military rule and executions in Myanmar
EAS attendees included US president Joe Biden and Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese. Vladimir Putin did not attend. Ardern had a chat with Biden, with a great shot of the “sharp elbows” required to do so from the Herald here (paywalled). Ardern’s EAS agenda items were top of the list for most attendees –the ongoing war in Ukraine, inflation, global economic instability and the rule of Myanmar by a military junta. Ardern reiterated her criticism of military rule in Myanmar, calling the execution of opponents “devastating and a stain on our region”. With no apparent progress on peace and the recent extension of emergency rule in Myanmar until 2023, ASEAN leaders pressed for “concrete, practical and measurable indicators with a specific timeline” on Friday night.
G20, APEC to follow EAS, Ardern will lead trade delegation to Viet Nam
In a scheduling move that feels a bit like putting kids in a room until they sort out their problems but is probably about cramming in as much face-to-face time in one region as possible, the EAS is followed by a G20 meeting in Bali and then the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ week in Thailand. New Zealand isn’t part of the G20 so Ardern will lead a trade delegation to Viet Nam, a market worth more than $2 billion a year in trade. Ardern then heads to APEC where a meeting with Xi could be on the cards.
Biden to skip APEC leaders’ meeting
Biden is set to meet Xi at the G20, as he’s not attending the APEC leaders’ meeting. Plenty of eyes on that meeting and a few raised eyebrows about Biden’s non-attendance at the APEC meeting. Vice-president Kamala Harris will attend instead. Politico has a good rundown on Biden’s challenge in the region as many countries remain sceptical about the big promises the US has made about its commitment to the region. Albanese is seeking a meeting with Xi, with no “preconditions”. Putin will reportedly be a no-show at the G20 and APEC.