Southeast Asia foreign ministers seek breakthrough in Myanmar conflict and South China Sea dispute

LANGKAWI, Malaysia — Southeast Asian foreign ministers gathered Sunday for their first meeting this year under the regional bloc's new chair, Malaysia, seeking a breakthrough over Myanmar's drawn-out civil war and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

The retreat on the idyllic northern resort island of Langkawi was the first major meeting of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations hosted by Malaysia. Officials said it aims to chart the bloc's direction for the year as it tries to resolve Myanmar's deadly four-year crisis and tensions over China's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said Myanmar — represented by a low-level Foreign Ministry official after its junta leaders were barred from formal ASEAN meetings — briefed the gathering about plans for a general election this year. But the bloc wants Myanmar's government to ensure peace before any polls are held, he said.

''We said the election has to be inclusive. The election cannot be in isolation, it has to involve all stakeholders,'' he told a news conference at the end of the retreat. ''We told them the election is not our priority. Our priority is to stop the violence.''

The crisis in Myanmar has emerged as one of the bloc's biggest challenges since a military coup ousted an elected civilian government in February 2021, plunging the country into conflict. It has sparked an armed resistance movement, with rebel forces now controlling large parts of the country. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, and displaced millions.

ASEAN's peace plan and other efforts to seek a solution have so far been futile, hampered by the bloc's non-interference policy and the Myanmar junta's refusal to comply. The military government hopes an election will legitimize its rule, but critics say polls are unlikely to be free or fair.

Malaysia, which brought Myanmar into ASEAN during its chairmanship of the bloc in 1997, is expected to take a more proactive stance as the Myanmar crisis has led to the flourishing of criminal activities, online scams and human trafficking along Myanmar's border.

Hasan said Malaysia had appointed Othman Hashim, a former foreign ministry senior official, as special envoy for ASEAN chair to Myanmar to engage various factions in the country to find a way forward.

''We have no intention to carve out Myanmar,'' he said, adding that dialogue and diplomacy were the best strategies to help the country return to a democratic path.

Hasan said the meeting also discussed implications of the second term of incoming U.S. President Donald Trump on the region amid its rivalry with China. He said ministers raised concerns that competition between the major powers may increase tensions and have spillover effects in the region. He said ASEAN ministers stressed the urgency to bolster regional unity and make economic integration a top priority amid the global uncertainties.

''We must ensure that ASEAN remains our central go-to platform for solution seeking... We are the speakers and not the spoken-for. We must drive our own path forward,'' he said.

Tensions in the South China Sea, one of the world's vital shipping lanes, were also high on the agenda following violent confrontations in the waters last year. Hasan said the ministers called for accelerated negotiations between ASEAN and China on a code of conduct in the waterway. Officials earlier targeted them for conclusion in 2026 but the talks have stalled over disagreements including whether the pact should be binding and its scope of coverage.

''We stressed that the South China Sea must remain peaceful and stable,'' Hasan said.

ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei along with Taiwan have overlapping claims with China, which asserts sovereignty over virtually all of the South China Sea.

Chinese and Philippine vessels clashed repeatedly last year. Chinese forces also assaulted Vietnamese fishermen and Chinese patrol vessels ventured into areas that Indonesia and Malaysia claim as exclusive economic zones. ASEAN has not openly criticized China, which is the bloc's top trading partner.

As chair, Malaysia is likely to push for quiet diplomacy as it balances security challenges with economic gains, analysts say.

''It would be pragmatism on Malaysia's side, as the country — as well as ASEAN as a whole — lack the diplomatic and military heft to confront China on the South China Sea,'' said Muhamamd Faizal Abdul Rahman, a research fellow at Singapore's S.Rajaratnam School of International Studies.