Putrajaya to Helm ASEAN For 5th Time Amid South China Sea Spats

Severe test to manage delicate balance between superpowers and roll back centrifugal forces

By: B A Hamzah

The South China Sea

The issues staring at Malaysia when it takes over chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations from Laos in January are the same ones that have bedeviled past chairmen, including increasing polarization within the ASEAN family, and its lack of unity, which is driven mainly by the varying degrees of alignmen…