As we grapple with maritime disputes and the crisis in Myanmar, US, China attend ASEAN summit diplomat meetings

VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — Top diplomats from Southeast Asia met with their influential dialogue partners in the Lao capital on Saturday for the final of three days of regional talks that have weighed on tensions over territorial claims in the South China Sea, escalating fighting in Myanmar and regional rivalries.

On Saturday, allies from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including the United States, China, Russia, Japan, India and Australia, will meet in the same hall to strengthen their ties and discuss key security issues and other regional affairs.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Vientiane on Saturday to meet ASEAN foreign ministers. He is also expected to hold side talks with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi as both countries seek to expand their influence in the region.

Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith opened the day’s first meeting with China, Japan and South Korea by saying he hopes the cooperation framework, called ASEAN Plus Three, “will continue to enhance our regional integration and economic resilience, and ensure that our supply chains remain robust and flexible in the face of future challenges.”

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa said that cooperation between the partners has diversified and has gone beyond financial cooperation. He stressed the importance of not only economic cooperation, but also stability, peace and security.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was also in Vientiane and had direct talks with Wang on Thursday.

Participants in these meetings represent either key US allies and partners or Washington’s two biggest rivals, Moscow and Beijing, who have grown closer over the past two years, raising major concerns about their collective influence in the world.

Indonesia said it had stressed at Thursday’s opening meeting that it was important for the bloc not to get involved, as both China and the US seek to expand their influence in the region.

During his trip to Vientiane, Blinken will discuss economic cooperation, the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar and territorial disputes in the South China Sea, among other topics, a statement from the US State Department said.

ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei are all at odds with China over its claim to sovereignty over much of the South China Sea, one of the world’s most important shipping waterways. Many fear that direct confrontations there could lead to a wider conflict. Indonesia has also expressed concern over what it sees as Beijing’s encroachment on its exclusive economic zone.

Meanwhile, the United States and its allies have been conducting regular military exercises and patrols in the area to emphasize their policy of a “free and open Indo-Pacific region,” including the right to sail in international waters, drawing criticism from China.

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

Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique Manalo said after Friday’s gala dinner that he had held a bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang. They agreed to “implement the preliminary agreement in a clear and sincere effort to defuse tensions and prevent incidents that would further strain our relationship.”

The increasingly violent civil war in ASEAN member state Myanmar is among the other issues dominating the talks. Thailand has said the group has backed a broader role as one of Myanmar’s immediate neighbours.

Nikorndej Balankura, spokesman for Thailand’s Foreign Ministry, told reporters on Friday that more dialogue mechanisms have been proposed to involve more stakeholders, particularly countries that share a border with Myanmar. However, he noted that those proposals had just been submitted to Laos, which currently chairs ASEAN and is responsible for directly recommending them to Myanmar for approval.

Myanmar’s military ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and suppressed widespread nonviolent protests seeking a return to democratic rule, sparking escalating violence and a humanitarian crisis.

ASEAN has pushed a “five-point consensus” for peace, but Myanmar’s military leadership has so far ignored the plan, raising questions about the bloc’s effectiveness and credibility. The peace plan calls for an immediate end to violence in Myanmar, dialogue between all parties involved, mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, the provision of humanitarian aid through ASEAN channels and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet with all parties involved.