MANILA ¨C Fifty years since its establishment, it is time for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to welcome another member into its midst ¡ª with Japan¡¯s support.
The recent meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in the Philippines drew more attention than usual to its concluding communique. More so than in past versions, this year¡¯s ASEAN concluding joint statement made clear the grouping of 10 nations¡¯ hopes for a demilitarized South China Sea. In one paragraph, the communique also noted ¡°the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security, safety and freedom of navigation in and over-flight above the South China Sea.¡± While not explicitly named, China was very clearly the focus of attention.
Garnering much less attention was the single paragraph that ¡°noted Timor-Leste¡¯s application for ASEAN membership and looked forward to the continued discussion¡± about reports and capacity building regarding that small Southeast Asian island nation¡¯s longstanding efforts to join the regional bloc.
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