On the eve of a summit attended by Trump… ASEAN foreign ministers discuss security and economic cooperation | policy

Al Jazeera Net correspondents

kuala lumpur- Issues of regional security and economic cooperation topped the agenda of the Conference of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Southeast Asian Nations, known as ASEAN, which took place today, Saturday, on the eve of the 47th session of the organization’s summit in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.

The speeches of the ASEAN foreign ministers at the opening of the conference focused on strengthening cooperation mechanisms in the fields of defence, security, order and judicial institutions with the aim of maintaining peace and stability in the Southeast Asian region.

The Prime Ministers of Cambodia and Thailand are expected to sign a peace agreement under the auspices of the US President and the Malaysian Prime Minister on the sidelines of the summit, which begins tomorrow, Sunday. This has prompted political analysts to say that President Donald Trump’s visit is ceremonial, and his discussions will not address the core of the main issues between ASEAN and the United States, especially customs duties.

Myanmar and regional security

Upon opening the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Conference, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamed Hassan called on countries bordering the South China Sea to adhere to the rules of conduct for navigation and engage in serious dialogue to address border disputes.

The ASEAN countries and China had reached a declaration of rules of conduct in 2012, with the aim of avoiding escalation and facilitating the conduct of maritime navigation lines in contact areas. However, China and the partner countries at sea maintained their differences regarding maritime borders and areas of economic influence, especially with regard to what is known as the “nine Chinese lines,” which Beijing considers its own borders.

The Malaysian Foreign Minister warned of the repercussions of the Myanmar crisis on the countries of the region, and of the expansion of the scope of the crisis to include the countries of the region unless ASEAN intervenes to find a solution. He said, “The Myanmar crisis threatens to expand in the form of cross-border crime, the influx of refugees, and economic and social turmoil affecting all member states.”

He called on ASEAN to follow up on implementing what it had previously reached regarding addressing the Myanmar crisis, referring to the consensus of the organization’s countries on a set of points that include:

• Stop all acts of violence.
• Start a dialogue with all parties to the conflict.
• Acceptance of the Special Envoy from ASEAN.
• Allow humanitarian aid to reach all affected areas.
• Facilitating the mission of the Special Envoy for dialogue with all parties, in preparation for a comprehensive political process.

Dozens of Malaysians demonstrate, demanding the lifting of the siege on Gaza and holding those who support the occupation accountable, days before the US President’s visit to participate in the ASEAN Summit. More details with Al Jazeera correspondent Samer Allawi.#Aljazeera_correspondents #Gaza_War pic.twitter.com/iZFmC3IZjE

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But Minister Hassan added that the solution must come from the people of Myanmar, and that ASEAN’s intervention should be done carefully, not forcefully, stressing that the organization, which his country currently chairs, has no choice but to resolve and engage responsibly.

He pointed out that the lack of trust between the parties to the conflict in Myanmar makes it difficult to reach reconciliation in the near future, saying, “In light of the lack of trust on the ground, reconciliation will not happen overnight. It will be a long process, and it must be undertaken by the people of Myanmar and supported by ASEAN, which is a path paved by persuasion, not coercion.”

Regarding the Palestinian issue, the Malaysian Foreign Minister said that Israel has destroyed life in the Gaza Strip, and that getting out of the disaster requires empowering the Palestinian people with their right to self-determination and establishing their independent, fully sovereign state.

He added that ASEAN welcomes reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and implementing the first phase of Trump’s comprehensive plan to end the conflict in Gaza, which he considered an important step forward, expressing his hope that it will lead to empowering the Palestinian people to achieve their rights to self-determination and establish their independent, fully sovereign state.

Fee issue

The ASEAN Summit, and the countries with which it has partnership and cooperation agreements, discusses issues of economic cooperation and the tariff crisis with the United States.

The Malaysian Trade Minister, Zafrul Abdul Aziz, considered that the customs duties announced by President Trump affected all ASEAN countries as a unified and important economic bloc.

He pointed out – in an interview with Al Jazeera English – that the ASEAN countries rejected customs duties the day after they were announced on what was known as Freedom Day, but they avoided responding in kind, and opened the way for dialogue and negotiation.

The Malaysian minister expected to reach an agreement in the ongoing ASEAN-United States talks, as US Commerce Secretary Howard Letnick joined the meetings of the organization’s economic and trade ministers, held on the sidelines of the summit.

However, the Malaysian Trade Minister stressed the keenness of the ASEAN countries to search for alternatives and expand trade lines with various economic blocs in the world, such as BRICS, the European Union, and the Arab Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Zafrul Abdul Aziz pointed out that ASEAN countries do not expect to find themselves drawn into the American agenda, while they are trying to balance their relations with China and other economic blocs.

He pointed out that some commercial sectors were greatly affected by trade tariffs, such as the furniture sector, where Malaysia’s exports to the United States declined from 50% to 10%. He stressed that Malaysia seeks to protect the electronics and semiconductor sectors (electrical current carriers) from the impact of President Trump’s customs policy.