By Sam Beltran Myanmar and Asean leaders are locked in a “diplomatic impasse” with the military junta determined to prevent the bloc from interfering with its plans for a general election later this year, according to observers. Four foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations last week postponed their planned trip to Myanmar […]
Read MoreBy Maria Siow Bangladesh’s renewed quest for Asean membership comes at a moment of acute internal flux and regional scepticism, as interim leader Muhammad Yunus looks to Malaysia for support but finds the path to entry blocked by questions over governance and stability. On Sunday, he revived his country’s call for Malaysia’s backing to secure […]
Read MoreChina and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have agreed to submit a pact upgrading their free trade areas to their leaders for approval in October, according to China’s foreign minister Wang Yi on Saturday. Negotiations about the so-called 3.0 version of the free trade zone started in November 2022 and completed in May, seeking […]
Read MoreBy Hadi Azmi and Joseph Sipalan Southeast Asian leaders have called on the Myanmar junta to refrain from holding elections until it satisfies a “wish list” for peace by the country’s stakeholders, as the Asean bloc wraps up a meeting of foreign ministers. In closing remarks on Friday, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations outlined […]
Read MoreKUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – The Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN on Tuesday, May 27, announced an ambitious strategic plan that includes harmonizing trade standards and greater financial integration in an effort to collectively become the world’s fourth-largest economy. The five-year, 41-page plan for the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, released during a leaders’ summit in […]
Read MoreCooperation between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will unlock immense potential for multilateral cooperation across sectors and inject stability into the world economy, analysts said ahead of an inaugural joint summit for the three parties. At the ASEAN-China-GCC Summit, to be held in the Malaysian […]
Read MoreKUALA LUMPUR: Asean Foreign Ministers have commended Malaysia’s proactive leadership in reviving efforts to implement the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) and facilitating constructive dialogue to address the ongoing crisis in Myanmar. Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique A. Manalo said both the informal and extended informal consultations on the implementation of the 5PC, held Saturday (May […]
Read MoreThe Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN met in Laos on Wednesday as it seeks to advance a stalled bid to resolve a crisis in Myanmar and cool tensions in the South China Sea, days ahead of a gathering of top diplomats from the world’s biggest powers. The meeting of the foreign ministers from the Association of […]
Read MoreParliamentarians from Southeast Asia on Saturday urgently called on the United Nations, ASEAN, and the wider international community to take immediate action in order to prevent the mass killing of Rohingyas who are under siege by the Arakan Army in northern Rakhine State. “We are extremely alarmed and concerned by reports that the Arakan Army […]
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