Asean’s biggest members, including Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, have been frustrated by the military junta’s unwillingness to honor its commitment to talks, testing the reliability and credibility of a peace plan agreed months after the 2021 coup.
It is unclear what progress Laos has made in improving relations with Myanmar’s generals and Indonesia, the former leader of its armed opposition.
A senior official at Indonesia’s foreign ministry, Sittardo Suryothiburo, said the issue was complex and would take time to resolve, adding that the ASEAN leader was actively involved in efforts to build peace in Laos.
„Diplomatic efforts cannot be completed overnight,” he told a briefing last week.
„Progress is being made slowly … those efforts are being made wisely. Under Laos leadership, the Special Envoy is reaching out to many parties.”
Tension at sea
Asean is expected to push for the finalization of a durable code of conduct with Beijing in the South China Sea, an idea that originated in 2002 and has been in motion since 2017, after years of agreeing to conditions for negotiating its contents.
The renewed urgency comes amid continuing clashes between Beijing and the US-backed Philippines over disputed patches inside Manila’s exclusive economic zone.
China insists the Philippine ships are encroaching on its sovereign territory and Manila accuses it of deliberate provocation.
The Philippines is proposing the creation of an ASEAN Coast Guard Forum in Laos to facilitate dialogue and law enforcement among its members, according to its senior diplomat Teresa Lazaro, which could provoke China.
Indonesia hopes to end a code by 2026. Some security analysts doubt that a binding or enforceable text can be reached, however, some ASEAN countries insist that it be based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
China says it supports an index but does not recognize a 2016 arbitral ruling that says its claim to much of the South China Sea has no basis under UNCLOS, to which Beijing is a signatory.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a statement that during a weekend summit, including Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, he will insist on upholding international law in the South China Sea, a route for $3 trillion in annual trade.
They will be joined by counterparts from Japan, South Korea, India, Australia and Russia at the East Asia Summit and Security-focused ASEAN Regional Forum on Saturday.
Issues such as the Gaza war, Ukraine conflict, food security, climate change, trade protectionism and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions are expected to be discussed at the conference.
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