Protectionism slammed as Southeast Asian leaders rally to trade pact

BANGKOK - Southeast Asian leaders made an impassioned plea against protectionism at a regional summit in Bangkok Sunday, warning that a dragging US-China trade spat could hammer their export-led econo

mies.

"The winds of protectionism are hurting our multilateral trading system," Thailand's junta leader-turned-premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha said.Leaders also called for urgency in concluding talks on a China-led trade pact this year, which once inked will be the world's biggest. Other issues, including dispute settlement and the exclusion of certain goods, still need to "ironed out", said a Malaysian Foreign Ministry official Sunday.

Malaysia has been the bloc's most outspoken member on the issue and it called for "citizenship" to be a cornerstone of any repatriation plan. A final statement from the weekend summit said ASEAN leaders supported Myanmar's efforts to "facilitate the voluntary return of displaced persons in a safe, secure and dignified manner".Disputes in the flashpoint South China Sea also emerged at the summit, where the Philippines protested Beijing's sweeping claims in the resource-rich waterway.

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