What was most noticeable was the fact that all of Myanmar’s neighbors – India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Laos, Nepal and Thailand – not only abstained from voting but have since expressed their discomfiture with the resolution
Foreign ministers of Southeast Asia and China agreed during a meeting to exercise restraint in the South China Sea and avoid actions that could escalate tensions, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) said on Tuesday.
Whether the military leadership sticks to its one-year schedule of emergency or extends its control for an indefinite period, will depend on an array of domestic factors
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on Monday for leaders in Asia to bolster efforts towards finding a peaceful solution to the bloody crisis in Myanmar, sparked by the military coup in February.
During the meeting, the officials reviewed recent strategic developments throughout the Indo-Pacific region, including the South China Sea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Mekong sub-region.
A new trade bloc covering a huge swathe of the Asia-Pacific region will play an important role in developing poorer economies and in post-pandemic stimulus, according to a report published on Monday by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Now the members of RCEP are 10-nation bloc ASEAN (Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia), China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
The deal marks the first time rival East Asian powers China, Japan and South Korea have been in a single free trade agreement.
For its new policy to be effective, Washington will have to demonstrate that it is committed to maintaining its military edge. To do so, it must make a bigger investment in its naval, air, and cyber warfare capabilities.
Myanmar would not allow groups that are inimical to India’s interests to operate from its territory.