Relationships

“Milestone” on the Luxusranch

That had never happened before: The heads of state and government of the ten members of the Southeast Asian community ASEAN are hosted in the United States. President Obama takes two days – he has good reasons.

For the global economy plays Southeast Asia an increasingly important role – the white of course, Barack Obama, which is why the US President is the highest representative of the ASEAN States on the of the luxurious country estate of Sunnylands in California has invited. According to the White house, the Meeting highlight the importance of Asia for the international relations of the United States.

The informal Meeting in Rancho Mirage, a town about 180 kilometres Southeast of Los Angeles, is the first conference of its kind on US soil. Obama described the meeting as a “milestone”, although it is not time for an official summit.

From the sun mostly spoiled: Sunnylands

“Essential Partner”

In the center of the two-day deliberations, which – as it means – in a relaxed, casual atmosphere to take place, in addition to economic cooperation, questions of security. Daniel Russel of the US state Department said in view of the ASEAN countries: “All of these States see themselves from terrorism threatened, either by the ‘Islamic state’ or of any other group.” A representative of the national security Council of the USA, added: “The ASEAN is located in the heart of Asia. It is for the United States in questions of the security architecture of the entire Region is an essential Partner.”

Topic is the conflict in the South China sea. China claimed there Islands, and is so cross with surrounding States and also the United States, on the integrity of international trade routes throb. Obama is, above all, to the South-East Asian allies to bolster. Nevertheless, the Meeting at Sunnylands, according to diplomats explicitly not against China.

The South China sea is a highly controversial topic

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations includes Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The ten ASEAN States, however, is completely and utterly not a homogeneous group: While the rich in Singapore have a Per capita income of about 55,000 dollars, whereas it is in poor Myanmar less than 1300 dollars. In the Philippines there is democracy, Vietnam is a Communist Einparteienstaat. Indonesia has about 240 million inhabitants and about 550 times as many as the Ölsultanat Brunei.

wa/rb (dpa, ape)