ASEAN ministers meet in Laos amid Myanmar, South China Sea tensions

Southeast Asian foreign ministers and top diplomats from key partners including the United States and China are gathering in the Laotian capital for the start of three days of talks expected to focus on the increasingly violent civil war in Myanmar, tensions in the South China Sea and other regional issues.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will participate in the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Vientiane, which come as both Beijing and Washington are looking to expand their influence in the region.

China is also Russia's most important ally in its war against Ukraine, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived on Thursday to take part in the meetings.

Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith thanked ASEAN members and partners for their “unwavering collective effort” that led to its past achievements and emphasized the importance of the bloc’s continuous work to promote peace and stability.

“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 an opening statement.

For the ASEAN nations — Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos — the violence in Myanmar is at the top of the agenda as the bloc struggles to implement its “five-point consensus” for peace.

The plan calls for the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, a dialogue among all concerned parties, mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, provision of humanitarian aid through ASEAN channels, and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet all concerned parties. The military leadership in Myanmar has so far ignored the plan and has raised questions about the bloc’s efficiency and credibility in mediating for peace.

Broader talks, including diplomats from elsewhere in the region including Japan, South Korea, India, and Australia, are expected to focus on issues including the economy, security, climate and energy.

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.

South China Sea dispute

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.

An estimated $5 trillion in international trade passes through the South China Sea each year. China has been increasingly involved in direct confrontations, most notably with the Philippines and Vietnam.

This year, tensions between the Philippines and China have escalated, with the Chinese coast guard and other forces using powerful water cannons and dangerous blocking manoeuvres to prevent food and other supplies from reaching Filipino navy personnel.

The Philippines, a treaty partner with the US, has been critical of other ASEAN countries for not doing more to get China to back away from its increasingly assertive approach.

China and the Philippines said on Sunday they have reached a deal that they hope will end the confrontations, aiming to establish a mutually acceptable arrangement at the disputed area without conceding either side’s territorial claims.

The rare deal could spark hope that similar arrangements could be forged by Beijing with other countries to avoid clashes while thorny territorial issues remain unresolved.

ASEAN has been working with China to produce a South China Sea code of conduct, which is expected to be part of the talks in Vientiane.