These are the key takeaways from the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat held over two days from Jan 18 at the Langkawi International Convention Centre.
Diplomats and delegates to the retreat, which was also the first ministerial meeting under Malaysia’s chairmanship, shared their insights on the key takeaways with FMT.
The need for a code of conduct
The South China Sea dispute remains a significant concern.
Acknowledging slow progress in negotiations, member states reiterated the need for a formalised code of conduct (COC) to advance discussions.
The Philippines, which lays claims to part of the Spratly Islands and Scarborough Shoal, expressed its strong commitment to shaping an “effective and substantive” COC, according to its foreign secretary Enrique Manalo.
“We have the basic negotiations between the Asean countries and China, but this doesn’t prevent other countries from seeking maritime cooperative activities with each other, because that, too, will help, even with China.
“All of these could work and be supportive of the negotiations on the code,” he told FMT.
Meanwhile, in addressing concerns about Asean being “polarised and paralysed” in the face of the dispute, secretary-general Kao Kim Hourn highlighted extensive ongoing efforts.
“We are at the level of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC), under which we have been implementing various activities to promote confidence. At the same time, we are undertaking full consultations to negotiate the COC,” he said.
“We have already been working and negotiating extensively. This year, there will be more meetings under the COC framework, so we hope to accelerate the negotiations,” he said.
Agreeing on strategies
This is the elephant in the room.
Achieving consensus in Asean, a diverse bloc with varying national interests, poses challenges to regional stability and cooperative efforts.
Thailand, for instance, has attempted more extensive engagement with the Myanmar junta to broker peace in its backyard.
In contrast, other Asean members like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore call for a more assertive stance against the regime.
“Several Asean members have pointed out that the five-point consensus has not been effective and may need revision,” said Nikorndej Balankura, spokesman for the Thai foreign ministry.
“We believe engaging in open dialogue with all parties, including the State Administration Council (of Myanmar), would be more productive,” he added.
However, Malaysian foreign minister Mohamad Hasan said that the five-point plan remains the path forward, despite Myanmar’s failure to stop violence, the only pillar yet to be addressed.
Kao, too, reiterated Asean’s commitment to the five-point plan, stressing the need to continue pushing for its implementation.
Shifting priorities?
Talks and press conferences were dominated by hot-button issues such as the Myanmar crisis, which stole the spotlight, along with the South China Sea dispute, and the change in the US administration on Monday.
Amid the focus on these major issues, less attention was given to other regional concerns.
Given its high susceptibility to natural disasters and the impact of climate change, the Philippines urged the bloc to prioritise disaster management.
It highlighted its proactive measures in disaster risk reduction, emphasising the importance of collaborative efforts in this area.
Philippines’ foreign secretary Manalo, whose country experiences one of the world’s highest rates of natural disasters, believes it would be prudent for the regional bloc to focus on the issue as a group.
“All countries, large or small, are affected by climate change,” he said.