MANILA, Philippines—A summit next week between Southeast Asian leaders and President Barack Obama is unlikely to deliver any big economic prizes, but will allow the American side to press the advantages of joining a Pacific trade pact that doesn’t include China.
The meetings at Rancho Mirage in California set for Monday and Tuesday will be the first summit of its kind for the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations on U.S. soil. Its special nature is intended to show the Obama administration’s commitment to countering growing Chinese influence in a region that is home to 620 million people and a $2.6 trillion economy.
Southeast Asian nations have benefited from increased trade and investment stemming from their giant neighbor’s economic rise but many are wary of China achieving overweening influence. The U.S., meanwhile, has an interest in maintaining freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, a crucial global trade route.
