ASEAN Summit 2023

US Vice President Kamala Harris, Chinese premier Li Qiang and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov will attend an East Asia summit in Indonesia on Thursday, offering an opportunity for direct, high-level diplomacy between the rivals.

The 18-nation meeting will bring Washington and Beijing into contact a day after Premier Li Qiang warned major powers must manage their differences to avoid a "new Cold War", ahead of the G20 summit in New Delhi this week where Chinese President Xi Jinping will be absent.

Interactions between the officials from the world's top two economies will be closely watched as they seek to control tensions that risk flaring anew over issues ranging from Taiwan to ties with Moscow and the competition for influence in the Pacific. — AFP

President Ferdinand Marco Jr. says the Philippines is ready to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2026 instead of junta-ruled Myanmar.

"It is my pleasure to announce that the Philippines is ready to take the helm and chair ASEAN in 2026. We will fortify the foundations of our community-building and navigate ASEAN as it embarks on a new chapter," he told ASEAN leaders in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, according to a statement from the presidential palace. — AFP

ASEAN chair Indonesia on Wednesday urges a political solution to the Myanmar crisis at regional talks where Thailand's envoy announced he met the country's deposed democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi last week.

Myanmar has been ravaged by deadly violence since a military coup ousted Suu Kyi's government more than two years ago, unleashing a bloody crackdown on dissent.

The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations has long been decried as a toothless talking shop, and it remains split over diplomatic attempts to resolve the crisis as it tries to form a united position on the junta-run country. — AFP

Indonesian President Joko Widodo says Southeast Asian nations have made "no significant progress" on implementing a peace plan aimed at ending bloodshed in Myanmar.

Escalating violence in junta-ruled Myanmar has dominated the three-day meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional bloc on the Indonesian island of Flores.

ASEAN, which has spearheaded diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis, is under pressure to enact a five-point plan agreed upon with Myanmar two years ago after a military coup ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's government. — AFP

Southeast Asian nations say Wednesday they are "deeply concerned" about the violence ravaging Myanmar, as they condemn a recent attack on a convoy of diplomats delivering humanitarian aid in the country.

"We were deeply concerned with ongoing violence in Myanmar and urged the immediate cessation of all forms of violence and the use of force to create a conducive environment for the safe and timely delivery of humanitarian assistance and inclusive national dialogues," leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations say in a statement. — AFP

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(L-R) Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Don Pramudwinai, Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, Laos' Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Brunei's Prime Minister Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia's President Hun Sen, Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and East Timor's Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak pose for family photo during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Labuan Bajo on May 10, 2023. Photo from AFP/Bay Ismoyo/Pool