ASEAN-US summit will irk Beijing

Subject The forthcoming ASEAN-US summit. Significance On February 15-16, US President Barack Obama will host the first ASEAN-US Summit to be held outside South-east Asia and also the first to be conducted with a partner from outside the region. ASEAN's 2016 chair Laos will co-chair the meeting, to be held in California. Impacts The summit is unlikely to warm Thai-US relations significantly. US encouragement to resolve Rohingya issues will put pressure on Myanmar's incoming government domestically and internationally. The summit may pave the way for specific ASEAN-US trade initiatives.