ASEAN leaders' summit kicks off in Laos

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders' summit began in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, on Wednesday.

In a short statement on X, the ASEAN Secretariat said the summit started with the opening ceremony which will be followed by a plenary session and a retreat session.

"ASEAN Leaders will engage with representatives from AIPA (ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly), ASEAN-BAC (ASEAN Business Advisory Council), and ASEAN Youth," it said.

Leaders from member countries who arrived on Tuesday in Vientiane are expected to discuss regional issues, including recent devastating floods that have hit several ASEAN countries, the crisis in Myanmar, South China Sea tensions, and Middle East violence.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other leaders from partner countries are also expected to arrive in Laos for summits with regional bloc leaders.

The ASEAN region is home to over 700 million people, spans 1.7 million square miles (4.5 million square kilometers), and recorded a total GDP of $3.62 trillion in 2022.