The first ever US-ASEAN Summit hosted by the United States, which US President Barack Obama called "landmark", did not bear the fruit some had coveted.

The final joint statement did incorporate categorical calls for "peaceful resolution of disputes", "full respect for legal and diplomatic processes", and "freedom of navigation and overflight". But refrained from the kind of name-calling some in the gathering had desperately wanted.

Their fantasy of issuing a Washington-endorsed warning to Beijing turned out to be a mirage.