Fifteen Asia-Pacific nations sign the world's largest free-trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership in Vietnam. It replaces the Trans-Pacific Partnership, from which the US withdrew the United States in early 2017. The countries are: Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Though instituted last year, attention is now focused on the part of Brunei’s penal code that punishes homosexuality and adultery with death.

China reports progress with Southeast Asian countries (including Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam) on an agreement about the “code of conduct” in the South China Sea. The United States is not involved.

Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand agree to share information about terrorism, an unusual sign of mutual cooperation, in a program named “Our Eyes.”

Eleven nations sign the Asia-Americas trade agreement now called the “Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership” (CPTPP). Canada bowed out at the last minute. Canada did not make its objections explicit, but they may relate to internal politics. The signatories are Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.