Leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will raise heightened maritime tensions in the region with Chinese Premier Li Qiang during today’s ASEAN Plus Three Summit in Laos.
Li will join new Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea during the Summit where the South China Sea situation will be discussed after months of violent clashes between Chinese vessels and Philippine and Vietnamese fishermen.
Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea, a waterway of immense strategic importance through which trillions of dollars in trade transits every year, while four ASEAN members — the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Brunei – have competing claims.
The draft summit statement reiterated ASEAN’s longstanding calls for restraint and respect for international law.
Mr. Marcos earlier vowed to push for inclusive, rules-based dispute resolution during the Laos meetings.
“As we continue to grapple with sharpening regional tensions, including the recent dangerous incidents in the West Philippine Sea, I intend to champion our advocacies in promoting an open, inclusive, and rules-based international order, and for the peaceful resolution of any disputes in accordance with international law,” Mr. Marcos said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will join the leaders in Vientiane for talks on Friday, when he is expected to press for the Myanmar junta to take steps such as reducing violence, releasing political prisoners and engaging with the opposition.
Daniel Kritenbrink, the top US diplomat for East Asia, said there had been “virtually zero progress” on these issues from the junta.
On Wednesday, ASEAN leaders pressed the junta and its opponents to take “concrete action” to stop the bloodshed in the country’s civil war and sought to kickstart faltering diplomatic efforts to solve the crisis.
The 10-member ASEAN has tried to no avail to find a negotiated solution to the Myanmar crisis, which has killed thousands of people and forced millions to flee their homes since the military seized power in February 2021.
The crisis dominated the first day of the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane as leaders held their first face-to-face talks with a senior Myanmar junta representative in more than three years.
ASEAN leaders condemned attacks on civilians and “urged all parties involved to take concrete action to immediately halt indiscriminate violence,” according to a draft summit chairman’s statement.
The junta agreed to a “five point consensus” plan with ASEAN to restore peace weeks after it ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, but instead pushed ahead with a bloody crackdown on opposition to its rule.
After condemning Myanmar for ignoring the five-point plan at summits in 2022 and 2023, the leaders insisted again on Wednesday it was still their “main reference” to deal with the crisis, the chairman’s draft statement said.
How to enforce it remains unclear.
“We are trying to find ways to move forward, because we have to admit that although the five points have been there… we have not been very successful in actually changing the situation,” Mr. Marcos told reporters.
“We are trying to formulate new strategies,” he said, adding that those new strategies had not yet been decided.
Thai foreign ministry spokesman Nikorndej Balankura confirmed there was no discussion at the summit on how to implement the peace plan. With AFP
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “Myanmar civil war, SCS tensions high on ASEAN agenda.”
