Climate and China loom over ASEAN talks in Australia

MELBOURNE, Australia — Southeast Asian leaders gather for talks in Australia on Monday, with clean energy cooperation and Beijing's aggressive stance in the South China Sea tipped to dominate discussions.

Climate change looms large on the agenda as leaders from the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) jet into Melbourne for a "special summit" with their Australian counterparts.

Southeast Asia's hunger for energy is largely fed by fossil fuels, while Australia remains one of the world's biggest exporters of gas and polluting thermal coal.

Both are increasingly eager to pivot toward renewable energy, making the most of natural blessings, such as bulging deposits of critical minerals.

"ASEAN countries need more energy if they are going to continue developing their economies," said Rahman Yaacob, a regional analyst with Australia's Lowy Institute.

"Australia could be a source of that energy."

Indonesia and the Philippines are two of the world's largest producers of nickel, a key ingredient in the production of batteries for electric cars.

Another key battery metal, lithium, is found in vast quantities scattered throughout Australia.

Jakarta and Canberra have already started exploring how they could mesh these advantages to boost electric vehicle manufacturing.

For years Australia has been trying to advance another ambitious proposal -- exporting solar power to Singapore via a massive undersea cable.

Although that project has recently hit significant financial snags, Yaacob said it remained of interest to ASEAN members.

"One of the areas they may look at is Australia exporting clean energy," he said. "There have been conversations about this with Singapore in the past."

Maritime security -- and China's increasingly aggressive behaviour in the South China Sea -- figures to be one of the summit's other major focal points.

Territorial disputes in the vital trade corridor have escalated in recent months, with Beijing baring its teeth in areas also claimed by ASEAN members such as the Philippines and Vietnam.

Close US ally Australia is meanwhile eager to blunt China's rising influence in the wider Asia-Pacific region.

"The summit may look to express