Overview
- On Tuesday, ASEAN foreign ministers issued a joint statement expressing “serious concern” and calling for an immediate cessation of U.S.–Iran hostilities and the full, safe reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to protect energy and trade flows.
- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, China’s Wang Yi and Russia’s Sergey Lavrov attended the Manila meetings, reflecting sharp great-power focus and creating opportunities for sideline contacts on security and economic issues.
- The Philippines accused China Coast Guard personnel of striking and injuring a Filipino sailor near Second Thomas Shoal, an allegation Beijing denied and the U.S. State Department called “dangerous and aggressive.”
- To shield members from oil shocks, ASEAN is moving to fast-track a regional oil-sharing mechanism and other energy and supply-chain measures to reduce the bloc’s exposure to disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz.
- ASEAN acknowledged its stalled five-point plan for Myanmar and has resumed limited engagement with Myanmar envoys and ethnic armed groups, a move that splits members between pressure for reintegration and calls to uphold non-engagement while repression continues.