US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. (Photo: REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin)

High on the agenda are issues relating to trade, East Sea territorial claims, human trafficking, and international crime.

The first US-ASEAN summit, which took place in February 2016, released a joint statement affirming fundamental cooperative principles: respect for freedom of maritime navigation, sustainable economic development, and an exchange of ideas for fighting terrorism, human trafficking, and climate change.