ASEAN leaders are in California for a summit with US President Barack Obama starting today. It is the first meeting of its kind on US soil. On the agenda are issues like trade, economy, counter-terrorism and security.
An investment conference will take place in San Francisco on Wednesday. The summit is designed to kick off a year of renewed American focus on the Asia-Pacific region.
The White House wants to ensure that Obama’s successor in the Oval Office is encouraged to continue the US foreign policy tilt towards Asia. The summit will end with a session on security issues, and officials concede that the territorial dispute in the South China Sea will loom large.