Anthony Albanese drums up South-East Asian trade while two snubs dampen the mood – the key takeaways from the ASEAN summit

Australia brought an “open for business” message to this week’s gathering of South-East Asian leaders at the ASEAN summit, but questions about the future of the bloc are already stirring. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese used the summit in Jakarta to unveil a long-term plan to boost underwhelming economic ties with ASEAN nations, but other leaders are focused on territorial disputes and the growing rivalry between the US and China. Several have warned that countries in the region shouldn’t be used as proxies for either of the two superpowers. And with the absence of Joe Biden and Xi Jinping, some have…