South China Sea, Rohingya on ASEAN

China's build-up to  'air' surveillance and domination projects in the region also likely to come up for discussion

Narendra Modi speaks with Cambodia's PM Hun Sen as Phillippines President
Rodrigo Duterte, in the back, arrives for the ASEAN summit gala dinner in Manila.

The maritime dispute over the South China Sea, exodus of the Rohingya citizens of Myanmar into Bangladesh and India, North Korean nuclear posturing and Islamic  State-linked terrorism are likely to be key talking points at the 31st ASEAN summit on Monday.

The South China Sea has been at the center of discussion on multilateral problems at the ASEAN-China level, which has been further complicated by China's land reclaimed projects aimed at building projects in the region.

Common Future

ASEAN has been battling with the task of framing a Code of Conduct(CoC) for the common maritime future, which officials of the Philippines say is likely to get the green light during the ASEAN summit.

Attention is also focused on Maynmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, who arrived here on Saturday, her Country's stand on the Rohingya issue.

Rohingya crisis

A Bangladesh source told that Dhaka expected ASEAN to raise the issue in a prominent way and convince Myanmar to stop the atrocities against the Rohingya. It is likely to be a major issue at the "retreat" where leaders can speak freely about all issues away from the media glare.

"It will be discussed, it will be u to Myanmar to raise because this is a domestic concern for them," said Mr. Bolivar giving the official position of the Philippines.