The Second Summit meeting between the ten ASEAN nations and the US which took place on 24 September 2010 in New York has been seen as a sincere gesture by the US to strengthen the arrangement and look forward to a more proactive role in the region. The South China Sea is strategically brewing and the recent diplomatic spat between China and Japan in the East China Sea has vitiated the calm waters. The US wants to make the most of it and might use the increasing tensions to capitalize on the ‘China threat’ concept.

The developments have also put a question mark on the Chinese rhetoric of peaceful rise. The US has been reconfirming its commitment to the region through statements by Hillary Clinton in 2009 during the ARF summit and again in the statement by Hillary Clinton in 2010 that South China Sea should be resolved amicably and it is in the US national interest as well as for the global common. There is growing perception among the other contenders in Southeast Asia that the resolution of the South China Sea would not be peaceful. In the meeting Myanmar was represented by its Foreign Minister Nyan Win. Indonesia was represented by Vice President Boedino because President Bambang Yudhoyono was indisposed and if the domestic political circles in Indonesia are to be believed, Yudhoyono was annoyed with the fact that Obama had cancelled his trip to Indonesia on the last two occasions. It seems that Obama owing to this snub would definitely make to trip to Indonesia in November 2010 when he is expected to visit India, Japan, and Korea. Incidentally, all these countries are democracies and this might indicate Obama’s trip as an effort to reinvigorate the ‘Concert of Democracies ‘in Asia to counter the rise of China.

During the meeting which lasted for two hours, the Southeast Asian nations addressed their concerns with regard to the rise of China and the importance of a US role in the coming years but they completely denounced the military intervention by the US in the future. The US, on the other hand, has made it clear that the unhindered rise of China and the assertive role which it is increasingly playing in the region would have subtle but long lasting effects with regards to the resolution of Taiwan and the South China Sea issues. Even prior to the meeting, the US addressed concerns with regard to elections in Myanmar and how in spite of Aung San Suu Kyi being the mass leader, has been denied the opportunity to contest elections, though she had been allowed to cast her vote in private. Even her party has been barred from contesting elections which is seen by West as a sheer disregard for the basic tenets of democracy. It seems that US is going to coax the ASEAN leaders to take some concrete measures in future to bring the recalcitrant junta to the negotiating table but the tone and tenor was subdued during the meeting. The US has made it clear that it would negotiate with the ASEAN nations for strengthening Trade & Investment Framework Agreement or TIFA. For the time being, however, the US is not too keen on the FTA because of domestic economic compulsions.

The forthcoming meeting of ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting along with eight dialogue partners better known as ADMM+8 meet scheduled to be held in Hanoi in October 2010 is a major area of concern. There is division which is palpable in the ASEAN region owing to the two viewpoints emerging with Vietnam asking for the binding Code of Conduct on South China Sea while countries like Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore wanting active US participation so that China does not call the shots during the meeting. While the contending parties within ASEAN want multilateral negotiations on the issue, China is advocating a bilateral dialogue. The initial meeting would surely address the issue of South China Sea and this would witness frayed tempers from countries like Vietnam, China and US.

The last issue which was seen as an important corollary to the talks was discussion about issues like US support for ASEAN Community and Connectivity as well as US garnering support from the ASEAN nations against international terrorism under the rubric of ASEAN-US Joint Declaration for Cooperation to Combat International Terrorism. Though issues like human rights, agriculture, energy efficiency, transnational crimes, and climate change also found passing reference during the talks but the food security initiative and the US permanent mission to ASEAN secretariat and a permanent Ambassador was welcomed by all the member nations. In the joint declaration which was released after the summit it was addressed that the partnership should be elevated to strategic level and the eminent person group has been tasked to look into areas of convergence. The ASEAN nations also endorsed Obama participating in the 2011 EAS summit meeting, and modalities for the same would be charted out in due course of time. It is very apparent that the US wants to remain relevant in the region and the ASEAN nations are leaving no stone unturned for the resurrection of US in the region.