SUNNYLANDS, California: Asean and US leaders opened their unprecedented summit here today (Monday) with talks focusing on closer economic and strategic relations.
US president Barack Obama welcomed the 10 Asean leaders at the two-day retreat at the Sunnylands Resort in the south California desert.
Amid the unusually warm winter heat at 31 degrees Celcius, the leaders will talk on issues involving economic cooperation, security, politics, terrorism and the South China Sea.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had earlier arrived at Palm Springs near here where he met Malaysian officials before the summit.
Yesterday, he spoke of the summit's significance for both America and Southeast Asia and said it was a clear reflection of Asean’s strategic importance.
“It is a significant meeting for both Asean and the US,” the prime minister said in a message ahead of the summit on Monday and Tuesday.
“It clearly represents a recognition by the U.S. on the diplomatic, economic and strategic importance of Asean,” he said.
Obama is hosting Najib and nine other Asean leaders to the estate in Rancho Mirage for the first US-Asean summit on American soil as part of Washington’s effort to sharpen the US' foreign policy focusing on the fast-growing Asean economy.
This would be the first summit after the elevation of the dialogue relations between the US and Asean to a “strategic partnership” in November last year in Kuala Lumpur during Obama’s visit.
“The summit will provide the leaders with the opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to the principles underlying the strategic partnership and to provide guidance on the way forward," Najib said.
The first-day session will focus on economy.
Tonight, Obama and the Asean leaders will have informal and "free-flowing" talks on regional and global issues at a working dinner.