Behind the scramble for ASEAN: China to US, top economies court Southeast Asia at Jakarta summits

News Snapshot:

The Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a 10-member bloc comprising Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam. It is holding the bloc’s summit, as well as summits with a host of countries, including India, in Indonesian capital Jakarta this week. Even China, which shares tense ties with multiple ASEAN members over its expansionist claims in the South China Sea, unleashed a charm offensive as it invoked the historic ties between the two sides. New Delhi: From Japan to the US, some of the world’s biggest economies are courting ASEAN as they attend summits...