South China Sea tensions and Myanmar violence top agenda for Southeast Asian envoys meeting in Laos

China’s growingly assertive posture in the South China Sea and escalating violence in Myanmar are topping the agenda for Southeast Asian diplomats meeting in Laos

LUANG PRABANG, Laos -- China’s growingly assertive posture in the South China Sea and escalating violence in Myanmar topped the agenda for Southeast Asian diplomats meeting in Laos on Monday.

The gathering is the first high-level meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations since Laos took over the rotating chairmanship.

The diplomats for the 10 nations with a combined population of nearly 650 million and GDP of more than $3 trillion will work to strategize on issues of regional peace, security and stability. They were also discussing economic cooperation and other issues under the year’s theme “enhancing connectivity and resilience.”

Of the ASEAN member nations, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia, Brunei and Laos, several have competing maritime claims in the South China Sea with China.

China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, through which an estimated $5 trillion in international trade passes each year, which has led it into direct confrontations, most notably with the Philippines and Vietnam.