Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, China’s Premier Li Qiang and Timor-Leste’s Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmao pose during the signing ceremony of the declaration on the admission of the Democratic Republic Of Timor-Leste into ASEAN at the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Kuala Lumpur, on October 26, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Top economic officials from the U.S. and China will face off in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday (October 25, 2025) to try to avert an escalation of their trade war and ensure that a meeting happens next week between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The talks on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit will seek to find a way forward after Mr. Trump threatened new 100% tariffs on Chinese goods and other trade curbs starting on November 1, in retaliation for China’s vastly expanded export controls on rare earth magnets and minerals.

The recent actions, which also include an expanded U.S. export blacklist that covers thousands more Chinese firms, have disrupted a delicate trade truce crafted by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng over four previous meetings since May.

The three officials on Saturday will try to pave the way for Trump and Xi to meet next Thursday at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in South Korea, a high-stakes conversation that could revolve around some interim relief on tariffs, technology controls and Chinese purchases of U.S. soybeans.

First, Mr. He, Mr. Bessent and Mr. Greer must find a way to mitigate their dispute over China’s rare earths controls and U.S. technology export curbs, said Josh Lipsky, international economics chair at the Atlantic Council in Washington.

“The meeting can’t happen without an agreement that they can return to this intermediate ceasefire that we’ve had over the summer,” Mr. Lipsky said, adding that the U.S. wants to reverse and end China’s new rare earths controls.

“I’m not sure the Chinese can agree to that. It’s the primary leverage that they have,” Mr. Lipsky said.

The Malaysian government and the U.S. and Chinese sides have provided very few details about the Kuala Lumpur meeting or any plans to brief the media about outcomes. The meeting’s venue was not confirmed until Chinese officials began arriving at the Merdeka 118 tower, the second-tallest building in the world.

Some of those announcements may fall to Trump, who is due to arrive in the Malaysian capital on Sunday.

“We won’t know if Beijing has successfully counterbalanced the U.S.’s export controls with restrictions of their own or if
they’ve induced a continuation of an escalatory spiral until Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi meet,” said Scott Kennedy, a China economics expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

“If they make a deal, their gambit will have paid off. If there’s no deal, then everyone will need to prepare for things to get much nastier,” Mr. Kennedy said.

Rare earths stranglehold

The world’s two largest economies are seeking to avoid a return of their tariff escalation to triple-digit levels on both sides that exploded in April when Mr. Trump imposed broad global tariffs. China also responded to Mr. Trump’s tariffs by cutting off rare earths supplies to U.S. buyers.

Mr. Bessent and Mr. Greer’s first meeting with He in Geneva in May led to a 90-day truce, which brought down tariffs sharply to about 55% on the U.S. side and 30% on the Chinese side and restarted the flow of magnets. The truce was extended in subsequent talks in London and Stockholm and was due to expire on November 10.

But the delicate truce frayed at the end of September, when the U.S. Commerce Department vastly expanded a U.S. export blacklist to automatically include firms more than 50% owned by companies already on the list, banning U.S. exports to thousands more Chinese firms.

China struck back with the new global rare earth export controls on October 10, aiming to prevent their use in military systems by requiring export licenses for products using Chinese rare earths or rare earth refining, extraction or processing technology developed by Chinese firms.

Mr. Bessent and Mr. Greer blasted China’s move as a “global supply chain power grab” and vowed the U.S. and its allies would not accept the restrictions. Reuters reported that the Trump administration is considering a plan to up the ante with curbs on a dizzying array of software-powered exports to China, from laptops to jet engines, according to sources familiar with the deliberations.

The Trump administration added to the tension on Friday by announcing a new tariff probe into China’s “apparent failure” to meet the terms of the 2020 U.S.-China “Phase One” trade agreement that halted their trade war during Trump’s first term.

The move could create an additional legal authority for Trump to further increase tariffs on Chinese imports. China committed to major increases in purchases of U.S. farm products, manufactured goods, energy and services in the 2020 deal, but the targets were never met.

That also could lead the U.S. side to press Beijing to resume buying American soybeans after China bought none in September, heaping economic pain on farmers, a key Trump political constituency.

Published – October 25, 2025 07:47 am IST

U.S. President Donald Trump will test his deal-making capabilities on a trip next week to Asia, a region battered by his hardball trade policies, while doubts hang over his highly anticipated meeting with China’s Xi Jinping.

Mr. Trump, who leaves Washington on Friday (October 24, 2025) night, is set for a five-day trip spanning Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, his first to the region and his longest journey abroad since taking office in January.

The Republican leader hopes to pile up trade, critical mineral and ceasefire deals before turning to the toughest challenge, a face-to-face with Mr. Xi in South Korea.

Mr. Trump is also working to maintain the signature foreign policy achievement of his second term, a fragile ceasefire he helped to strike in the Israel-Gaza conflict, while the Russian war in Ukraine rages and a trade war with China shows little sign of ending.

U.S. and China trade threats on key minerals, technology

Washington and Beijing have hiked tariffs on each other’s exports and threatened to cut off trade in critical minerals and technologies altogether.

The trip was formally announced by the White House on Thursday (October 23, 2025). Details remain in flux, including the meeting between leaders of the world’s two largest economies.

Neither side expects a breakthrough that would restore terms of trade that existed before Mr. Trump’s second-term inauguration in January, according to a person familiar with the conversations. Instead, talks between the two sides to prepare for the meeting focused on managing disagreements and modest improvements.

An interim agreement could include limited relief on tariffs, an extension of current rates, or China committing to buy U.S.-made soybeans and Boeing airplanes. Beijing reneged on similar promises in a 2020 deal with Trump.

Washington could let more high-end computer chips flow to Beijing, which in turn could loosen controls on rare earth magnets that have angered Mr. Trump.

Or, nothing could come of the talks at all.

On Wednesday (October 22, 2025), U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Mr. Trump-Mr. Xi talk would be a “pull-aside,” suggesting nothing formal. Mr. Trump later told reporters the two would have “a pretty long meeting,” allowing them to “work out a lot of our questions and our doubts and our tremendous assets together.”

China has not confirmed a meeting is planned.

Trump set to visit three countries, meet world leaders

Mira Rapp-Hooper, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and former Biden administration official, said Mr. Trump’s Asia policy has been defined by intense pressure on countries’ trade policies and defense spending.

“The high-level question on this trip is really, who does the United States stand with, and what does it stand for,” she said.

Mr. Trump is expected at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit, which starts on Sunday (October 26, 2025) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

There, he could oversee the signing of a ceasefire deal between Thailand and Cambodia. The deal would formalize an agreement that ended the worst fighting in years between the two countries in July, though it falls short of a comprehensive peace deal. During his second term in office, Mr. Trump has branded himself as a global peacemaker.

After that stop, Mr. Trump will head to Japan to meet Sanae Takaichi, the newly elected Prime Minister. Ms. Takaichi is expected to affirm plans by her predecessor to hike military spending and to make $550 billion in Trump-directed investments in the U.S.

Then, in Busan, South Korea, Mr. Trump plans to meet Mr. Xi ahead of an international trade summit. Mr. Trump is set to return to Washington before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ forum gets under way, according to the schedule announced by the White House on Thursday.

Mr. Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on Chinese imports to a total of some 155% from November 1 if they cannot strike a deal. That would almost certainly provoke a reaction from Beijing and end a truce that paused tit-for-tat hikes.

Beyond trade, the two leaders are expected to discuss Taiwan, a long-running U.S.-China irritant, and Russia, a Chinese ally now subject to expanded U.S. sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

“There’s no intent from the U.S. side to discuss other issues,” aside from China’s trade, export controls and its purchases of Russian oil, according to a U.S. official, who said Mr. Trump would be prepared to reiterate previous responses if Mr. Xi raised other topics.

Deal or no deal

It was not clear if Mr. Trump would try to resume trade negotiations with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is also traveling in Asia, after abruptly cutting off talks. The two “will likely see each other” on Wednesday at a dinner with other leaders, another official said.

Mr. Trump is also trying to close trade deals with Malaysia and India, while shoring up a deal that has already been struck with South Korea.

U.S. and South Korean relations have been strained by Seoul’s concerns over the $350 billion investment in U.S. companies sought by Trump and deportations of the country’s foreign workers.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung wants Trump to pursue peace with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. U.S. officials considered, but never confirmed, a trip to the demilitarized zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas, according to another person familiar with the discussions. Another U.S. official said on Friday that no Kim-Trump meeting was on the schedule for the trip.

Published – October 25, 2025 05:55 am IST

South East Asian country leaders hold hands during the opening ceremony of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Vientiane, Laos, Wednesday (October 9, 2024)
| Photo Credit: AP

Southeast Asian leaders pressed Myanmar’s junta and its opponents on Wednesday (October 9, 2024) 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 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (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, where the disputed South China Sea will also be high on the agenda.

ASEAN leaders held their first face-to-face talks with a senior Myanmar junta representative in more than three years on the first day.

The junta has suffered serious battlefield defeats over the past year during a renewed offensive by ethnic minority armed groups and pro-democracy “People’s Defence Forces” that rose up to oppose its coup.

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 (October 9, 2024) 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,” Philippine President Ferdinand 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.

Myanmar sent a senior foreign ministry official to the meeting after three years of shunning summits because the bloc barred junta chief Min Aung Hlaing in the wake of the coup.

Bloc’s clout in doubt

ASEAN’s failure to make any tangible progress in resolving a civil war inside one of its own members has fuelled longstanding questions about its effectiveness.

“The longer the Myanmar crisis remains unresolved, the greater the risk of ASEAN outliving its usefulness in resolving conflicts within the Southeast Asian region,” Mustafa Izzuddin, international affairs analyst at Solaris Strategies Singapore, told AFP.

With formal diplomacy making no progress, Thailand will host informal talks on the crisis in December involving ASEAN members and possibly neighbouring countries such as China and India.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will join the leaders in Vientiane for talks on Friday (October 11, 2024), when he is expected to press for the junta to take steps such as reducing violence, releasing political prisoners and engaging with the opposition.

Daniel Kritenbrink, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia, said there had been “virtually zero progress” on these issues from the junta.

Premier Li Qiang of China — long Myanmar’s most important ally — will hold talks with ASEAN leaders on Thursday (October 10, 2024) before joining an “ASEAN Plus Three” summit with new Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and President Yoon Suk Yeol of South Korea.

The South China Sea will also be discussed when the leaders sit down with Mr. Li, 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.

Four ASEAN members — the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Brunei — have competing claims to various small islands and reefs.

The draft summit statement reiterated ASEAN’s longstanding calls for restraint and respect for international law.

From left to right, Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Aung Kyaw Moe, Philippine’s President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Laos’ President Thongloun Sisoulith, Laos’ Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Indonesian Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, and East Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao hold hands during the opening ceremony of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Vientiane, Laos, on October 9, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Southeast Asian leaders met in Laos on Wednesday (October 9, 2024) for a summit expected to seek ways to address the worsening civil war in Myanmar, with Thailand calling for heightened engagement ahead of a planned election by the country’s embattled military rulers.

Chaos has prevailed in Myanmar since a 2021 military coup sparked a nationwide rebellion and a civil war that has ravaged the nation of 55 million. The ruling junta has so far refused to hold talks with its opponents, whom it calls terrorists.

Thailand has offered to host an “informal consultation” of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in December to try to find a way out of the intractable conflict that has displaced millions of people.

“ASEAN should send a unified message to all parties in Myanmar that there is no military solution. It is time to start talking,” Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra told a meeting of ASEAN leaders. “Thailand is ready to help.”

The junta is conducting a nationwide census to pave the way for an election next year, despite not having control over wide swathes of the country.

ASEAN has so far said little of the proposed election, which has already been widely derided as a sham, with dozens of parties — including the dominant National League for Democracy (NLD), whose government the military toppled — disbanded for not registering to run.

But Ms. Shinawatra hinted at Thailand’s support for holding the vote, saying “more political space and dialogue between parties are vital as Myanmar moves forward with elections”.

Within ASEAN, whose own peace plan for Myanmar has made scant progress, member states are divided between those who want the junta to do more, and those calling for more talks among warring parties, according to Thailand’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura.

“We hope that Myanmar should have internal consultation among all sides. And we encourage that. It has been our position all along,” Nikorndej told a briefing in Vientiane following the leaders’ summit.

In previous months, Thailand has suggested that Myanmar’s other influential neighbours, China and India, might play a role in the peace effort, a stance Ms. Shinawatra reiterated. “Thailand is strengthening the role of neighbouring countries of Myanmar to complement ASEAN’s effort,” she said.

“Virtually zero progress in efforts to get Myanmar’s junta to reduce violence”

Myanmar’s civil war and resolving disputes in the South China Sea are key issues set to dominate the ASEAN leaders’ meeting in Vientiane, which will be followed by two days of summits with premiers and top diplomats from regional and world powers.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are among those set to attend.

Opening Wednesday’s summit, Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone said ASEAN faced many challenges and had its own ways to tackle them.

“Laos deems that ASEAN’s past successes are due to our understanding of each other,” he said. “We help each other, and co-operate with each other, with an ASEAN way and principles. “

Ahead of Mr. Blinken’s trip, the United States’ top diplomat for East Asia, Daniel Kritenbrink, told reporters there had been “virtually zero progress” in efforts to get Myanmar’s junta to reduce violence, free political prisoners and talk to the democratic opposition.

Since ASEAN has barred the Myanmar generals from its summits until they can meet requirements of the peace plan, the country is represented in Laos by a senior Foreign Ministry official.

However, ASEAN must not bend to accommodate the junta’s demands, including recognising its own five-step “roadmap” for what is expected to be a one-sided election, former Thai diplomat Korbsak Chutikul warned.

“Care must be exercised not to be roped into going along with Myanmar’s own five-point plan, like to hold elections next year for a semblance of legitimacy,” Mr. Korbsak added.

Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Aung Kyaw Moe, Philippine’s President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Laos’ President Thongloun Sisoulith, Laos’ Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, Indonesian Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, and East Timorese Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao hold hands during the opening ceremony of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Vientiane, Laos, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Southeast Asian leaders gathered in the capital of Laos on Wednesday (October 9, 2024) for an annual regional forum that will focus on tackling the prolonged civil war in Myanmar and territorial tensions in the South China Sea, two key challenges that have long tested the bloc’s credibility.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit will also be followed by meetings with global powers including China, the United States and Russia, which are contending for influence in the region.

The timing of the meetings in Vientiane makes it likely that talks will also touch on the escalation of violence in the Middle East, although Southeast Asia has faced only indirect fallout.

ASEAN’s influence has historically been limited even among its own members, but the forum has often served as a platform for dialogues among superpowers looking to engage with the region.

The 10 member states of ASEAN — Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos — will also hold talks with their dialogue partners from elsewhere in the region including Japan, South Korea, India and Australia on topics ranging from the economy, to climate change and energy.

Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone welcomed new leaders from Thailand and Singapore to the summit in his opening speech. He said Lao, one of the poorest countries in the bloc, aims to help members work together to manage geopolitical and economic challenges under its chairmanship.

“We help one another, and work together the ASEAN way,” he said. “We will discuss and strengthen cooperation between ASEAN members and other dialogue partners, along with upholding the unity and centrality of ASEAN.”

Thailand’s Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who took the premiership in August, is the bloc’s youngest leader at 38. Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong took over in May from Lee Hsien Loong, who stepped down after 20 years. Vietnam also has a new leader after President To Lam took office in August, but the country is being represented by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, ASEAN’s biggest member, is skipping the forum as his successor Prabowo Subianto prepares to take office later this month, sending Vice President Ma’ruf Amin in his stead. It will also be the first overseas trip for Japan’s new prime minister Shigeru Ishiba, who was confirmed just last week.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will fill in for President Joe Biden at the meetings, while China will be represented by Premier Li Qiang.

Frayed U.S.-China relations, particularly over Beijing’s increasing assertiveness in the disputed South China Sea, will be a major agenda item for Blinken, said Dan Kritenbrink, the top U.S. diplomat for Asia. He could not say if Mr. Blinken plans to hold separate meetings in Laos with Chinese officials.

“A number of (China)-related issues are likely to come up in the context of the ASEAN meetings, including the situation in the South China Sea and China’s continuing to take a number of escalatory and irresponsible steps designed to coerce and pressure many in the South China Sea claimants,” Mr. Kritenbrink said.

ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei, along with Taiwan have overlapping claims with China, which claims sovereignty over virtually all of the South China Sea and has become increasingly aggressive in attempts to enforce them. ASEAN members and China have been negotiating a code of conduct to govern behavior in the sea for years, but progress has been slow.

Chinese and Philippine vessels have clashed repeatedly this year, and Vietnam charged last week that Chinese forces assaulted its fishermen in disputed areas in the South China Sea. China has also sent patrol vessels to areas that Indonesia and Malaysia claim as exclusive economic zones. The Philippines, a longtime U.S. ally, has been critical of other ASEAN countries for not doing more to get China to back away.

Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman, research fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said there’s little chance of clear outcomes as those not in direct conflict with China — the region’s top trade and investment partner — will likely prioritize ties with Beijing,

“It is the preference for conflict avoidance while getting geostrategic benefits where possible,” he said. “In reality, national interests matter more than regional interests.”

ASEAN’s credibility has also been severely tested by the crisis in Myanmar, where close to 6,000 people have been killed and over 3 million displaced since the army ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

Myanmar’s junta has agreed to an ASEAN peace plan that calls for ceasefire and mediation, but hasn’t followed through as it continues battling pro-democracy guerillas and ethnic rebels. It’s widely believed that considerably less than half the country’s territory is under the army’s control.

Thailand is expected to host an informal regional consultation on the Myanmar crisis in December, although it is unclear who will attend from Myanmar. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balangura said the meeting will be open to all ASEAN members at a ministerial level and possible to countries with a shared border with Myanmar.

“Thailand is ready to coordinate to create a concerted ASEAN effort that will lead to peace in Myanmar,” he told reporters.

Myanmar sent Foreign Ministry permanent secretary Aung Kyaw Moe to the summit, its first high-level representative at the summit in three years, after ASEAN barred it from sending political representatives in late 2021.

Allowing a senior diplomat from Myanmar to join the meetings “will be perceived as ASEAN is compromising, confirming the concern that ASEAN is experiencing fatigue in dealing with the crisis,” said Lina Alexandra, senior researcher at Indonesia’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies. Chances for any significant breakthrough on the crisis remain slim, she said.

Soldiers sit next to an armoured vehicle outside a hotel during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Vientiane on October 8, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Myanmar will send a representative to a regional summit this week for the first time in three years, a diplomatic source said on Tuesday, as the junta struggles to quell a civil war.

The conflict will be high on the agenda as leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meet in Laos on Wednesday (October 9, 2024), although more than three years of efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis have had no impact.

ASEAN barred Myanmar’s junta leaders from its summits in the wake of their February 2021 coup, and the generals have refused to send “non-political representatives” instead.

However, Myanmar — one of 10 ASEAN member states — has sent a senior foreign ministry official as its representative to the three-day meeting in Vientiane, a Southeast Asian diplomat involved in the meetings said.

Weeks after seizing power, the junta agreed to a “five-point consensus” plan aimed at restoring peace but then ignored it and carried on a bloody crackdown on dissent and armed opposition to its rule.

“The significance is that in a sense they are accepting the five-point consensus,” the diplomat told AFP.

“They may have thought that it’s better to have their own voice heard rather than be on the outside.”

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing attended an emergency ASEAN summit on the crisis in April 2021 but the bloc has refused to invite him to regular gatherings since.

Aung Kyaw Moe, permanent secretary at the Myanmar Foreign Ministry, attended a meeting of foreign ministers on Tuesday ahead of the main summit but refused to answer reporters’ questions.

Sending a representative to the meeting comes two weeks after the military issued an unprecedented invitation to its enemies for talks aimed at ending the conflict, which has killed thousands and forced millions to flee their homes.

The junta has been reeling from battlefield defeats to ethnic minority armed groups and pro-democracy “People’s Defence Forces” that rose up to oppose its coup.

Indonesia hosted talks on the Myanmar conflict last week involving ASEAN, the European Union and the United Nations, as well as numerous anti-junta groups.

Malaysia takes over as ASEAN chair after the summit and foreign minister Mohamad Hasan said the Jakarta meeting showed that talks must involve all parties in Myanmar.

“The takeaway is that we have to approach everybody in Myanmar. Myanmar also has to listen to ASEAN,” he told reporters in Vientiane.

Call for action

ASEAN, long criticised as a toothless talking shop hamstrung from taking firm action by its principle of making decisions by consensus, has made little progress in its efforts to resolve the Myanmar crisis.

The topic has dominated every high-level meeting since the coup but the bloc has been divided, with Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines leading calls for tougher action against the generals.

Myanmar’s neighbour Thailand, which regularly hosts thousands of people fleeing the conflict and has held its own bilateral talks with the junta, has called for a more effective response from ASEAN.

The kingdom will host informal talks on the crisis in December involving the “troika” of Indonesia, Laos and Malaysia, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn told reporters.

“This is what we call a new meeting that will review the situation in Myanmar (to see) what more can be done,” he said.

China, Myanmar’s neighbour and key ally, confirmed on Tuesday that Premier Li Qiang would also attend the summit.

Beijing has grown increasingly alarmed at the conflict on its doorstep and wants to see a deal, calling on Friday for a “reconciliation led by all people of Myanmar”.

The South China Sea will be another key topic for leaders after months of violent confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the disputed waterway.

Beijing claims almost the entire South China Sea, brushing off rival claims of several Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, and an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis.

Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will also attend, as will India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and leaders from South Korea, Australia and Canada.

India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar attends the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at the National Convention Center, in Vientiane, Laos July 27, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on July 27 held a meeting with leaders from several nations, including Russia, the European Union, Türkiye, South Korea, Singapore, Brunei, and New Zealand and discussed various aspects of bilateral collaboration with them on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit, which is taking place in the capital of the Laos People’s Democratic Republic.

Mr. Jaishankar met his Hakan Fidan, his counterpart from Türkiye, and the two leaders discussed bilateral ties and exchanged views on regional and global issues.

In a post on X, Mr. Jaishankar said that discussed bilateral ties and exchanged views on regional and global issues with his Turkish counterpart on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings in Vientiane.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a post on X, noted that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Mr. Jaishankar met on the sidelines of the event, attaching a picture of the two ministers.

Mr. Jaishankar also held a bilateral meeting with his counterpart from South Korea and had a wide-ranging conversation on Special Strategic Partnership. “Our shared convergences in the Indo-Pacific region is also opening new avenues of cooperation,” he posted on X.

He also met the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission. In a post on X, he said they discussed ways that India and the European Union could augment partnership in trade, clean energy transition and advanced technologies. “Exchanged perspectives on regional and global issues. Thank HRVP Borrell for his friendship and staunch support for strengthening India-EU ties,” he said in the post.

He also met and had great conversations with his counterpart and “dear friend” from Singapore Vivian Balakrishnan. “Great conversation with dear friend FM @VivianBala of Singapore. Thank Singapore for steering ASEAN-India relations in the last three years as Country Coordinator. We spoke about creating a new agenda for our bilateral ties. Also appreciated his thoughts on the current geopolitical situation,” Jaishankar posted on X.

He also met his Indonesian counterpart. “Always good to see my friend FM @Menlu_RI of Indonesia. Congratulated her on a great stint as Foreign Minister. Her contribution towards India-Indonesia and India-ASEAN relations are notable. Enjoyed working with her during our G20 Presidencies.” Jaishankar also met his Malaysian counterpart.

“A warm conversation with Malaysian FM @tokmatn9 today in Vientiane. Discussed ongoing initiatives in our bilateral relationship. Look forward to enhancing our ties in the second decade of our Enhanced Strategic Partnership,” Jaishankar posted on X.

Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with his counterpart from New Zealand, Winston Peters, also the country’s deputy prime minister.

“Always enjoy meeting DPM & FM @winstonpeters of New Zealand. Discussed education, agriculture technology, Pacific Islands & cricket,” Jaishankar said in a post on X.

Jaishankar also held a meeting with his counterpart from Brunei, Dato Haji Erywan. The two leaders launched the logo, celebrating 40 years of diplomatic relations between India and Brunei. “Confident that our warm and friendly ties will prosper further,” Jaishankar said.

Top officials pose for a group photo at the 25th ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers session of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Top diplomats from Southeast Asia convened on July 27 in the Laotian capital with their powerful dialogue partners in the last of the three-day regional talks that have grappled with tensions over territorial claims in the South China Sea, escalating fighting in Myanmar, and regional rivalry.

Meetings on July 27 will bring together in the same room allies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations — including the United States, China, Russia, Japan, India and Australia — to bolster their relationships and discuss key security issues and other regional affairs.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived July 27 in Vientiane to meet with the ASEAN foreign ministers. He is also expected to meet on the sidelines with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, as both countries are looking to expand their influence in the region. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also in Vientiane, and already held direct talks with Mr. Wang on July 25.

Participants in these meetings represent either critical U.S. allies and partners, and Washington’s two largest rivals, Moscow and Beijing, who have grown closer over the past two years, prompting deep concerns about their combined global influence.

Indonesia said it emphasized in their opening meetings on Thursday that it’s important the bloc doesn’t get drawn in as both China and the U.S. look to expand their influence in the region.

Focus on the South China Sea

Among other issues, Mr. Blinken will discuss economic cooperation, the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar and territorial disputes in the South China Sea during his trip to Vientiane, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of State.

ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei have conflicts with China over its claim of sovereignty over virtually all of the South China Sea, one of the world’s most crucial waterways for shipping. Many worry that direct confrontations there could lead to broader conflict. Indonesia has also expressed concern about what it sees as Beijing’s encroachment on its exclusive economic zone.

The United States and its allies, meanwhile, have regularly conducted military exercises and patrols in the area to assert their “free and open Indo-Pacific” policy, including the right to navigate in international waters, drawing criticism from China.

There are divisions within ASEAN on how to deal with China’s maritime claims. The Philippines has been critical over a perceived lack of support from the bloc, but in a rare deal, China and the Philippines said they had reached an agreement that they hope will end their confrontations, aiming to establish a mutually acceptable arrangement for the disputed area without conceding each other’s territorial claims.

Philippines Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo said after the gala dinner on Friday that he had a bilateral meeting with Mr. Wang, where they agreed that they would “honour the provisional agreement in a clear and sincere effort to defuse tensions and try and prevent any incidents of course from leading to further tension in our relationship.”

Addressing the crisis in Myanmar

The increasingly violent civil war in ASEAN member state Myanmar is one of the other issues dominating talks. Thailand has said the group gave their support for it to take a broader role as one of Myanmar’s immediate neighbors.

Nikorndej Balankura, spokesperson of Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters on July 26 that more dialogue mechanisms have been proposed to include more stakeholders, especially countries that share borders with Myanmar.

He, however, noted that those proposals have just been submitted to Laos, which currently chairs ASEAN and is in charge of recommending them directly to Myanmar to seek its approval.

The army in Myanmar ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and suppressed widespread nonviolent protests that sought a return to democratic rule, leading to increasing violence and a humanitarian crisis.

ASEAN has been pushing a “five-point consensus” for peace, but the military leadership in Myanmar has so far ignored the plan, raising questions about the bloc’s efficiency and credibility. The peace 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.

Minister of External Affairs S. Jaishankar with Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi during a meeting on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings, in Vientiane, on July 25, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

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