As the new chair of the group, Duterte must represent Asean and a forceful and unified voice. There will be two Asean summits – the 30th and 31st – held separately during 2017. The latter will involve a dozen related summits between Asean and its dialogue partners, including the United Nations. So far, he has not made any major announcements about Asean and its agenda, except at the Asean summit during the chairmanship’s hand-over ceremony from Laos in September. Most importantly, the Philippines wants to put Asean on the global agenda in a constructive way, strengthening the overall Asean voice in the international community.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 27, 2016 18:09 UTC