The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is holding its annual summit in Laos. The bloc's members view these summits as a key platform to engage with foreign partners on major issues regarding politics, economy and security.

The EU will be represented in Laos by President of the European Council Charles Michel. He has also been invited to attend the upcoming East Asia summit, which is set to start on Friday, where global leaders are expected to discuss wider topics affecting the continent.

"This invitation allows the European Union to interact with ASEAN at the leaders' level," the EU's ambassador to ASEAN, Sujiro Seam, told DW.

The bloc of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam is home to around 685 million people, and it is becoming an increasingly important player in the global economy.

"The main objective going into the East Asia Summit is to continue to advance the strategic partnership between ASEAN and the European Union," the EU ambassador added.

Biden and Xi not coming to Laos

Laos, a communist-run state, has put in effort to avoid controversy during its tenure as ASEAN's chair, focusing on regional unity rather than geopolitical disputes.

Some sore subjects, however, were raised on Thursday, with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr accusing Beijing of harassment and intimidation in the South China Sea and pushing for a framework on the code of conduct in the disputed waters.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is notably absent from the conference in Laos, with Premier Li Qiang representing China. US President Joe Biden is also not attending the summit and sending instead his Secretary of State Antony Blinken. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is another no-show, but Australia's Anthony Albanese is taking part, alongside with Japan's new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. The leaders of South Korea and Canada are also in Vientiane.

Myanmar junta represented at ASEAN

Analysts do not anticipate any major resolutions on critical regional issues, such as disputes over the South China Sea or the ongoing civil conflict in Myanmar.

The ruling junta in Myanmar will be represented in Laos, with the war-torn country sending a senior official from its Foreign Ministry to the summit. The decision to invite him, however, has prompted other ASEAN nations to criticize Laos.

ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn said the bloc will stay engaged with Myanmar.

"We need time and patience," he told the Reuters news agency. "Myanmar is such a complicated, a complex issue... We should not expect a quick fix."

Indonesia, which has advocated for a more assertive approach to the Myanmar crisis, hosted its own talks last week. These discussions included representatives from the EU and Myanmar's anti-junta National Unity Government.

Brussels' business in Asia

On the sidelines of the conference, EU officials are expected to engage with Southeast Asian leaders on various matters, including trade and investment. Earlier this month, the EU and ASEAN held a Partners' Dialogue forum in Jakarta, while sectoral dialogues on issues such as technology management have taken place in recent weeks.

Experts say 2024 is shaping up to be a big year for EU-ASEAN relations.

"The level of engagement has never been so good. This is welcomed by European businesses," Chris Humphrey, executive director of the EU-ASEAN Business Council, told DW.

He said that bilateral trade numbers, worth around €270 billion ($295 billion) last year, "remain strong" and praised European investment in Southeast Asia: €27 billion in 2023 and over €90 billion since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Humphrey.

Tensions eased after EU anti-deforestation law delayed

Southeast Asian governments have repeatedly clashed with Brussels over the proposed EU anti-deforestation law. The initiative aims to restrict imports of commodities such cocoa, coffee, palm oil and many others if they are linked to destruction of forests.

The law was initially scheduled to go into effect at the end of 2024. Now, it has been postponed to December 2025 for large companies and June 2026 for smaller enterprises.

While several ASEAN members are still opposed to the law itself, the delay gives regional businesses more time to adjust and deflates the tensions as the EU negotiates free trade agreements with Indonesia and Malaysia.

Malaysia to take the helm

Malaysia is expected to officially take over as ASEAN chair in January 2025. During the next 12 months, one of Malaysia's priorities will be finalizing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, a roadmap for regional affairs over the next two decades.

EU ambassador Seam noted that the EU is eager to work closely with Malaysia during its chairmanship, particularly in organizing a special EU-ASEAN Leaders' summit early next year.

However, analysts reckon Malaysia's turn at the helm will pose challenges.

The European bloc should expect a "rougher chairmanship" from Malaysia than Laos, which has "stayed away from contentious issues and worked to maintain friendships, not alienate them," Bridget Welsh, an honorary research associate at the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute Malaysia, told DW.

Middle East crisis prompts anger in Kuala Lumpur

Meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has adopted a more critical stance toward Western nations in recent months. Last month, Anwar visited Russia and is expected to attend the BRICS Summit in Kazan later in October.

Anwar, a lifelong supporter of the Palestinian cause, has been vehemently critical of the West's response to Israel's offensive in Gaza. Hamas is considered a terror group by the US, the EU and others.

While on a visit to Germany in March, Anwar accused European governments of "hypocrisy." In an interview this week, he again lashed out at the "sheer hypocrisy of many countries in the West to condone what is happening in Gaza," describing this stance as "shocking" and "appalling."

Edited by: Darko Janjevic