Obama Staking Asia Policy On ASEAN Sunnylands Summit [Forbes, 14 Feb 2016]
“Diplomatically, symbolically, this is putting ASEAN—10 medium-size and smaller countries—virtually on par on China, which is a great acknowledgement of the distance ASEAN has come since past years,” said SIIA Chairman Simon Tay.
For the full article, visit Forbes.com
US-ASEAN Summit: Obama To Welcome Southeast Asian Leaders Amid China Challenge [IBT, 15 Feb 2015]
The above quote was also featured in the International Business Times.
Summit to boost ASEAN awareness among US lawmakers [Channel NewsAsia, 15 Feb 2015]
The invitation to meet for a summit in the Californian resort of Sunnylands was extended by President Obama to the leaders of the 10-nation ASEAN – including Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong – when he visited Asia in November 2015. Experts say the summit reinforces the commitment of the US to Southeast Asia.
“He just hosted the Chinese President Xi Jinping there (in Sunnylands). So in this way, he is showing ASEAN that ‘I’m putting you – 10 smaller and medium sized countries, including Singapore, Laos, and Brunei – on some parity with China’. And I think that’s a big diplomatic signal from America,” said Professor Simon Tay, chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs.
For the full article, visit ChannelNewsAsia.com