TOKYO -- In a scene open to interpretation as either a celebration of diversity or a sign of disunity, the leaders of seven Bay of Bengal nations -- each clad in distinct national or formal attire -- lined up for a group photo during last month's summit in Bangkok. The image stood in stark contrast to the choreographed displays at ASEAN summits, where leaders typically don matching batik shirts and link arms in a symbolic gesture of unity.
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Bay of Bengal emerges as a microcosm of a multipolar world
Power vacuum fuels geopolitical rivalries in strategic corner of the Indo-Pacific
The leaders of seven Bay of Bengal nations pose for a photo at the summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) in Bangkok on April 4. © Reuters
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