LANGKAWI - Asean needs to double down on regional integration to enhance the grouping’s competitiveness, especially at a time when changes to geopolitical structures and economic policy are taking place worldwide, said Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

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.

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,

LANGKAWI: Asean nations will closely cooperate with China to combat transnational crime, including online scam syndicates, announced Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan.

Southeast Asian foreign ministers hold a closed-doors retreat in Malaysia on Sunday, as the country hosts its first meeting as chair of the regional bloc ASEAN amid an intensifying civil war in Myanmar and confrontations in the South China Sea.

Talks between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China to crack down on online scams need detail as the proposal from Beijing was still in an early stage, Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa said on Saturday.

LANGKAWI: The ongoing Myanmar crisis and tensions in the South China Sea will feature in the discussions at the Asean Foreign Ministers' Retreat here during the weekend, says Malaysian Foreign Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin.

LANGKAWI, Jan 19 (Bernama) -- ASEAN Foreign Ministers welcomed the progress made in the negotiations on the Code of Conduct (COC) in the South China Sea and emphasised the importance of sustaining momentum to expedite the process.

This photo taken on Jan. 17, 2025 shows a sunset view at the Cenang beach in Langkawi, Malaysia. (Xinhua/Cheng Yiheng)

he ongoing Myanmar crisis and tensions in the South China Sea will feature in the discussions at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat in Langkawi, Malaysia over the weekend, says Malaysian Foreign Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin.

The Chinese military conducted joint sea-air combat readiness patrols in the South China Sea from Friday to Saturday to maintain peace and stability in the area, according to a statement by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since 2021 when its military overthrew the government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.