Asean leaders gathering on Friday will publicly play up their plans for post-coronavirus recovery efforts, but behind closed doors much of their focus will be on disputes over the South China Sea, analysts believe. In particular, Vietnam – which will chair the meeting – will push hard for the bloc to take a tougher stance on China’s recent assertive actions in the waters, according to Southeast Asian analysts. Nazia Hussain, a Senior Analyst at Singapore’s RSIS, said Hanoi would “be conscious to make sure the most pressing items on their agenda follow through” after having had its chairmanship “overshadowed” by the public health crisis.