Window on regional future

ASEAN and China share many common interests and the consensus is to resolve differences through dialogue

series of Foreign Ministers' Meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum held in Bali, Indonesia, from July 16 to 23, discussed the future development of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) mechanism, regional cooperation framework and relevant regional and international issues.

In view of the remarks by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at last year's ASEAN summit, held in Hanoi, that the South China Sea is in the "national interests" of the United States, international media outlets had predicted that the meetings would be a "war of words", China would be besieged and the meeting would further sour Sino-US ties. The forum was seen as a window to observe the status of Sino-US relations and the future geopolitical landscape of eastern Asia.