Asean seeks to tackle Myanmar crisis, South China Sea tension as ministers meet in Laos

The Southeast Asian bloc Asean met in Laos on Wednesday (July 24) as it seeks to advance a stalled bid to resolve a crisis in Myanmar and cool tensions in the South China Sea, days ahead of a gathering of top diplomats from the world's biggest powers.

The meeting of the foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be followed by two summits in Laos on Saturday set to address key global issues that will be attended by officials from the United States, European Union, Japan, China, Russia and more.

Asean's foreign ministers will discuss so far fruitless efforts to end a crippling conflict that has morphed into a civil war in military-run Myanmar that the United Nations says has displaced 2.6 million people.

Asean's biggest members, including Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, are frustrated by the junta's unwillingness to honour its commitment to dialogue, which has tested the bloc's credibility and viability of a peace plan agreed months after a 2021 coup.

It is unclear what progress, if any, Laos has made as chair of the bloc in furthering previous chair Indonesia's outreach to Myanmar's generals and its armed opposition.

Sidharto Suryodipuro, a senior Indonesian foreign ministry official, said the issue was complex and would take time to resolve, with Asean chair Laos active in trying to forge peace.

"Diplomatic efforts can't finish overnight," he told a briefing last week.

"Progress is working slowly... those efforts are done discreetly. Under the Laos chairmanship, the special envoy is approaching many parties."

Tensions at sea

Asean is expected to push for the finalisation of a protracted code of conduct with Beijing on the South China Sea, an idea hatched in 2002 and in motion