Leaders of the nine member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations are holding a summit in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei. The two-day multilateral gathering opened on Wednesday.

The agenda for the 22nd ASEAN summit includes territorial disputes in the South China Sea and tasks on launching an ASEAN economic community by 2015.

The Philippines and Brunei are determined to discuss the territorial disputes in the South China Sea as a key issue in the summit.

ASEAN leaders are also likely to express concerns over escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula and urge related countries to refrain from making the situation worse.