In addition, it serves as a prominent regional (Asia) and international (worldwide) conference, with world leaders attending its related summits and meetings to discuss various problems and global issues, strengthening co-operation, and making decisions.

[4] At this summit, ASEAN expressed its readiness to "develop fruitful relations" and mutually beneficial co-operation with other countries of the region.

ASEAN's leaders also discussed setting up a security community alongside the economic one, though without any formal military alliance.

During the same meeting, China and ASEAN also agreed to work faster toward a mutual trade agreement which would create the world's most populous market, with 1.7 billion consumers.

However, on 8 December, organizers decided to move the summit schedule to January 2007 due to Typhoon Seniang hitting the area.

The actual conference was held at the Cebu International Convention Centre in Mandaue, while the Shangri-La Mactan Island Resort & Spa in Lapu-Lapu City provided accommodations for delegates and venues for smaller meetings.

Other documents that were negotiated and signed include: The 15th ASEAN Summit was held in October 2009 in Hua Hin and Cha-am, Thailand.

[8] It involved the leaders of ASEAN member states together with their dialogue partners from China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, and New Zealand.

Japan's Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, called for peaceful settlement of dispute between China and the Philippines.

[9] No multilateral statement has been clearly made to reflect the voice of the ASEAN community as a whole on the South China Sea issues.

The protests were part of the 2008 Thai political crisis and were not believed to be directed at ASEAN leaders, but rather at Thailand's government.

More recently, Myanmar opposed granting observer status to East Timor because of the latter's support for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

[25] The nation's then-President, Xanana Gusmão, had already applied for membership at the 39th Annual Ministerial Meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers held in Kuala Lumpur in 2006.

[28] In 2023, a roadmap to membership was presented, including a number of steps that the country would need to fulfill, such as the capacity to host large meetings and sufficient English-speaking government staff.

The United States and the European Union publicly announced that they might boycott any ASEAN-related event if Myanmar was the chair.

Apart from the United States, various ASEAN lawmakers have called Myanmar's membership to be stripped due to its poor human rights record.

Members of the National Unity Government formed in response to the coup and consisting of ousted lawmakers were reported to have been in contact with ASEAN leaders, but were not formally invited to the meeting.

[35] This is notable since leaders have often shown solidarity with each other over high-profile issues such as East Timor and the handling by Myanmar of Aung San Suu Kyi.

[citation needed] Indonesia (the world's most populous Muslim country) and Malaysia, however, were particularly vehement in their condemnation over the Thai government's handling of the events in south Thailand, with a former Malaysian Prime minister going to the extent of suggesting that the Southern Thai states should be given autonomy power.

[citation needed] Laotian spokesman Yong Chanthalangsy stated "I think we have a golden rule, that is non-interference in the internal affairs of each other."

[38][39] ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia is open for non-ASEAN states to accede.

The foreign ministers of ASEAN member states determined that invitation to the inaugural East Asia Summit, the first of which was held in late 2005 and hosted by Malaysia, was to be restricted to parties to the treaty.