The regional bloc ASEAN and China should make headway on a protracted code of conduct for the South China Sea by tackling thorny "milestone issues", including its scope and if it can be legally binding,

Asean secretary-general Kao Kim Hourn has dismissed concerns over the relevance of the regional bloc, saying that all member states continue to view Asean as a fundamental part of their foreign policy.

Southeast Asian foreign ministers are gathering 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.

Foreign secretary Enrique Manalo says Asean’s vulnerability to climate change should elevate the issue on the bloc’s priority list.

LANGKAWI, Malaysia - Southeast Asian nations told Myanmar's military government on Sunday its plan to hold an election amid an escalating civil war should not be its priority, urging the junta to start dialogue and end hostilities immediately.

ASEAN and China are urged to resolve 'milestone issues' in their South China Sea code of conduct talks, including its scope and legal binding status. The Philippines emphasizes the need for substantive discussions,

LANGKAWI, Malaysia -- Claims that Donald Trump and key aides have little interest in Southeast Asia are "speculation", the Philippine Foreign Secretary has said in a bid to dampen anxiety in the region two days ahead of the American president-elect's return to the White House.

With the upcoming Trump 2.0 administration and the ongoing South China Sea dispute, building peace requires more multilateral, regional and subregional cooperation, says the Foreign Affairs Secretary of the Philippines Enrique Manalo.

Foreign Ministers from Southeast Asia have started arriving in Langkawi for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat (AMM), which is set to convene on Saturday (Jan 18). Malaysia’s Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan,

Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo Enrique Manalo and his Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya on January 15 agreed to continue communication with the incoming US administration of President-elect Donald Trump to promote their trilateral relationship.