ASEAN Foreign Ministers to Push for Tougher Action on Myanmar

Along with the Ukraine-Russia conflict, ongoing South China Sea tensions will be another hot button issue on the agenda.

Also read: Myanmar Political Prisoners Not Among 1,600 Freed in New Year Amnesty

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will fly in, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russia’s top diplomat Sergei Lavrov also expected to attend and hold meetings with the ASEAN ministers.

But analysts do not expect a repeat of 2012 when Cambodia -- a key Beijing ally -- last hosted ASEAN and was accused of siding with China on the disputed sea, resulting in no communique being issued.

“Cambodia has learnt its lesson. It was the first time ASEAN didn’t come up with a joint statement and Cambodia got big blowback from it,” said Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University analyst Thitinan Pongsudhirak.

“Hun Sen.. doesn’t want to shoot himself in the foot again.”

China claims most of the sea -- with competing for territorial assertions from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Source: Agence France-Presse