US tariff hikes, Myanmar war and sea disputes will top ASEAN summit agenda

PUTRAJAYA Malaysia AP The civil war in Myanmar maritime disputes in the South China Sea and U S tariff hikes will top the agenda of a two-day Southeast Asian summit next week Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim noted The meeting in Malaysia the current chair of the -member Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Monday will be followed by a summit on Tuesday with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and leaders from the Gulf Cooperation Council comprising Bahrain Kuwait Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates The GCC already has strong links with the U S and wants to be close to China too Anwar declared We want to have that synergy to enhance agreement investments more effective collaboration Anwar mentioned in a media briefing late Wednesday ASEAN countries have been hit by U S tariffs ranging from to U S President Donald Trump last month publicized a -day pause on the tariffs prompting countries including Malaysia and Singapore to swiftly begin agreement negotiations with Washington Anwar mentioned the U S has promised to review Malaysia s circumstance sympathetically He explained ASEAN is also working together to see how it can negotiate with the U S as a bloc At the same time he disclosed that ASEAN must build its economic resilience by deepening links with other partners such as China India and the European Union Anwar revealed the U S -China rivalry would not split the bloc as the region continues to engage both superpowers He also downplayed territorial disputes between ASEAN members and China in the South China Sea which Beijing declares virtually in its entirety and Myanmar s conflict since the military takeover Anwar met last month with Myanmar military chief Gen Ming Aung Hlaing in Bangkok and held virtual talks with the opposition National Unity Cabinet Even though the talks were at present focused on humanitarian aid Anwar reported he hopes they could eventually push a peace process forward Min Aung Hlaing has been barred from attending ASEAN meetings after the military refused to comply with ASEAN s peace plan which includes delivery of humanitarian aid and negotiations Opponents and critics of the military administration say aid is not freely allowed into areas not under the army s control and accuse the army of violating its self-declared ceasefire with dozens of airstrikes Source