Ten years ago, leaders of the 10 countries in Asean gathered in Kuala Lumpur for a summit to take stock of their efforts at economic integration.

Just two years earlier, in 2003, they had committed to declaring a region-wide economic community by 2020.

But, heartened by the progress they had made, they agreed to bring forward the deadline for a region-wide economic community by a full five years.

… Unwilling to directly confront one another over contentious issues, such as the South China Sea territorial claims, the United States and China are likely to step up bilateral engagement with Asean members to push their respective agendas, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies researcher Angela Poh noted.