The leaders of the 10-nation bloc met at a newly built stone and marble building that reflects oil-rich Brunei's economic might, an envy of ASEAN's lesser-developed members. The tiny jungle-clad kingdom of 400,000 people on Borneo island is so wealthy that Bruneians do not pay taxes.
Carl Thayer, an expert who has extensively studied the territorial conflicts, said ASEAN may have committed a strategic mistake of agreeing to a crucial process that could easily be stalled by China, which would not commit to anything that would restrict its plans.