The U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit kicks off today in Washington. Heads of government from 8 out of the 10 ASEAN member states will gather to meet with President Joe Biden.
Outgoing president Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, which just had an election this week, will not be in attendance. The United States followed ASEAN’s lead in refusing to invite coup leader Min Aung Hlaing but offering a spot to a “non-political representative” of Myanmar—an offer the junta has consistently refused.
Myanmar junta rebuked
In a clear rebuke of Min Aung Hlaing, ASEAN foreign ministers also convened an unofficial meeting in Washington the day before the summit to discuss policy alternatives toward Myanmar. During that meeting, Malaysian foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah called for the grouping to directly engage with the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) and National Unity…
