THE ten-member Association of South-East Asian Nations is proud of how it does things. “The ASEAN way” favours consensus over confrontation, conviviality over candour and process over substance. It is credited with keeping the peace in what was once a strife-torn region. And co-operation within ASEAN not only enhances its economic coherence and attractiveness to outsiders, but also gives it a diplomatic clout its individual members could never attain. Yet as its leaders met on May 10th and 11th for a summit in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar, ASEAN’s achievements seemed under threat on all fronts.
The meeting was overshadowed by a confrontation in the South China Sea between Vietnam, an ASEAN member, and China.
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