Philippines calls on China, ASEAN to urgently negotiate South China Sea code

ASEAN leaders were joined in Laos on Thursday by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, new Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, ahead of the plenary meeting of the East Asia Summit on Friday.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japan’s Ishiba were set to hold their first summit in Laos on Thursday, as the neighbors seek to deepen security and economic ties.

Yoon has pushed to repair relations with Tokyo and step up trilateral security cooperation involving Washington as a top diplomatic priority, building on progress made by Yoon and Ishiba’s predecessor, Fumio Kishida.

SUPPLY CHAIN ​​RESILIENCE

South Korea and ASEAN announced in Vientiane that they had established a comprehensive strategic partnership that Yoon said would expand cooperation in the defense industry and help strengthen ASEAN’s cybersecurity capabilities.

Negotiations were also concluded on upgrading an ASEAN-China free trade zone, according to Singapore’s Ministry of Commerce, which covers customs, supply chain connectivity, competition and protection consumers, as well as non-tariff barriers.

The Laos meetings also discussed a crisis in Myanmar that began with a military coup in 2021 and has since escalated into civil war.

The conflict has torn ASEAN apart, with differing views among its members testing its unity, credibility and ability to respond decisively to issues within the 10-member bloc.

ASEAN leaders on Thursday urged all parties to end violence and attacks against civilians and supported efforts to find a peaceful solution, including increased cooperation with Myanmar’s neighboring states and the United Nations. United to tackle the crisis and its wider impacts, including drugs and crime.

Western countries have taken a tougher line than ASEAN, imposing sanctions and accusing Myanmar’s generals of committing systematic atrocities. The junta called this disinformation.

Marcos said earlier that ASEAN’s formal peace process, the “Five-Point Consensus”, had not worked so far and that the bloc was now trying to “think of new strategies”.

“We have to admit … that we have not really managed to improve the situation,” Marcos told reporters, according to his office.