Asean top envoys grapple with maritime rows, Myanmar crisis

Top diplomats from Southeast Asia convened in the Laotian capital yesterday 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.

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Meetings in Vientiane yesterday brought together in the same room allies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – including the United States, China, Russia, Japan, India and Australia – to bolster their relationships and discuss key security issues and other regional affairs.

In a meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Indonesia Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the bloc’s good partnership with Washington should also contribute to global peace.