Southeast Asian foreign ministers seek breakthrough in Myanmar conflict and South China Sea disputes

ASEAN meeting in Langkawi aims to address Myanmar crisis and South China Sea tensions under Malaysia's leadership.

Southeast Asian Foreign Ministers gathered Sunday (January 19, 2025) 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 ASEAN must bolster unity and make economic integration a top priority amid global uncertainties and the U.S.-China rivalry in the region. He said the second term of incoming U.S. President Donald Trump has also raised questions on how it will shape dynamics in the region.

“There is much to prepare for. Above all, what we need to anticipate are the potential challenges to ASEAN centrality,” he told the opening of the meeting. "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.”

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 been futile as Myanmar’s junta has not been compliant. ASEAN banned Myanmar’s military leaders from formal ASEAN meetings but the bloc’s non-interference policy has hampered its role. The military government plans an election this year to 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.