Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) gathered Tuesday ahead of this year's annual summit. Security was tight near this year's venue on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. 　　The ASEAN summit meetings are expected to cover a host of regional issues ranging from maritime territorial disputes in the South China sea, and the effects of the European debt crisis. 　　This year, the meeting attendees will include not only the 10 southeast asian member countries, but also U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. 　　China of course will also be present at the talks... a news briefing was held in Beijing Tuesday to discuss Premier Wen Jiabao's trip to the region later in the week. 　　Liu Zhenmin, China's Assistant Foreign Ministry: "China has always attached great importance to and actively taken part in east Asia cooperation. 　　We will attend the conference with the spirits of enhancing mutual trust, deepening regional cooperation, and promoting mutual benefits." Leaders from Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand will also attend the summit. (Julie Noce/ Reuters)