VIENTIANE, Laos—Southeast Asian foreign ministers and top diplomats from key partners including the United States and China were gathering in the Laotian capital on Thursday for the start of three days of talks expected to focus on the increasingly violent civil war in Myanmar, tensions in the South China...
Myanmar Foreign Secretary Aung Kyaw Moe, Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Thailand Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, Vietnam Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet, Laos Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, Malaysia Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, Brunei Darussalam Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof, Cambodia Foreign Minister Sok Chenda Sophea, Indonesia Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, East Timor Foreign Minister Bendito dos Santos...
“In light of the rapid and complex geopolitical and geoeconomic changes, we need to further enhance Asean centrality and unity so as to promote the relevance and resilience of Asean, aiming at addressing emerging challenges and seizing opportunity in the future,” he said in the opening statement. Regional issues, including Cambodia’s decision to build a canal off the Mekong River that Vietnam, which is downstream, worries could have ecological and security implications, as well as massive dam building projects in Laos further upstream could also feature in the meetings.
As the needs of civilians grow, discussions on humanitarian assistance to Myanmar will also be a focus of the Asean talks, Bolbongse Vangphaen, head of the Thai Foreign Ministry’s department for Asean, told reporters ahead of the meetings. Indonesia Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Wednesday after the meeting that she raised concerns about increasing numbers of cross-border crimes and refugees that resulted from a crisis in Myanmar. She said she urged Asean to “promote trust and confidence building through a balanced and low-key approach” to foster an inclusive dialogue among all relevant stakeholders in Myanmar.
In other issues, Asean members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei are locked in maritime disputes with China over its claims of sovereignty over virtually all of the South China Sea, one of the world’s most crucial waterways for shipping. Indonesia has also expressed concern about what it sees as Beijing’s encroachment on its exclusive economic zone.
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