ASEAN leaders were joined in Laos on Thursday by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, before Friday’s East Asia Summit plenary gathering.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japan’s Ishiba were scheduled to hold their first summit in Laos on Thursday, as the neighbours seek to deepen security and economic ties.
Yoon has pushed to mend relations with Tokyo and ramp up trilateral security cooperation involving Washington as a top diplomatic priority, building on progress achieved by Yoon and Ishiba’s predecessor, Fumio Kishida.
SUPPLY CHAIN RESILIENCE
South Korea and ASEAN announced in Vientiane they had established a comprehensive strategic partnership, which Yoon said would develop defence industry cooperation and contribute to strengthening ASEAN’s cybersecurity capabilities.
Negotiations were also concluded on an upgrade to an ASEAN-China free trade area, according to Singapore’s trade ministry, which covers customs, supply chain connectivity, competition and consumer protection, as well as non-tariff barriers.
The Laos meetings also discussed a crisis in Myanmar that started with a 2021 military coup and has since spiralled into a civil war.
The conflict has dogged ASEAN, with different opinions among its members testing its unity, credibility and its ability to respond decisively to problems within the 10-member bloc.
ASEAN leaders on Thursday urged all sides to halt violence and attacks on civilians and backed efforts to find a peaceful solution, including more cooperation with Myanmar’s neighbouring states and the United Nations to tackle the crisis and its wider impacts, including narcotics and crime.
Western countries have taken a tougher line than ASEAN, imposing sanctions and accusing Myanmar’s generals of committing systematic atrocities. The junta has called that misinformation.
Marcos earlier said ASEAN’s formal peace process, the “Five-Point Consensus”, had not worked so far and the bloc was now “trying to think of new strategies”.
“We have to admit … we have not been very successful in actually improving the situation,” Marcos told reporters, according to his office.
