Japan, the United States, China, Russia and ASEAN nations, among others, are to discuss international issues at a meeting on Thursday.
The East Asia Summit is to be held in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on the final day of the ASEAN summit and related meetings. The participants will include Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, US Vice President Kamala Harris, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
They are expected to discuss the situation in the South China Sea, where China has been flexing its muscles. Other major issues will likely be North Korea's nuclear and missile development and Russia's aggression in Ukraine.
The US and China have been engaged in political maneuvering on the ASEAN stage over the South China Sea. Beijing is making rules with the bloc to prevent conflicts, while Washington seeks to strengthen security cooperation with its members.
Discussions may be intense as the US differs significantly with China and Russia over the North Korea and Ukraine issues.