Latest news with #AseanForeignMinisters'
Borneo Post
11-07-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
US, China have 'positive' meeting at Asean foreign minister talks in KL
Rubio (left) meets with Wang (right) during the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers' meeting and related meetings at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on July 11, 2025. – AFP photo KUALA LUMPUR (July 11): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi had a 'positive' meeting in Malaysia on Friday, both sides said, in an apparent bid to ease tensions between the rival powers. Rubio and Wang's first face-to-face meeting since US President Donald Trump returned to office came as Washington and Beijing are locked in disputes ranging from trade to Taiwan — and both countries vie for greater influence in the region. 'I thought it was a very constructive and positive meeting,' Rubio told reporters after the hour-long talks in capital Kuala Lumpur, but he stressed: 'It was not a negotiation.' 'I think we left it feeling as there's some areas we're gonna be able to work together on.' Rubio was also optimistic that a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping would happen. 'There's a strong desire on both sides to do it,' Rubio said, adding no date was set. Beijing said in a statement 'both sides agreed that the meeting was positive, pragmatic and constructive'. Both countries agreed to 'enhance communication and dialogue through diplomatic channels… and explore expanding cooperation areas while managing differences,' China's foreign ministry said. The sit-down between Wang and Rubio, a longtime China hawk, came as Asian foreign ministers wrapped up three days of talks at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathering in Kuala Lumpur. Top diplomats from Russia, the European Union, Australia, Britain and Canada also attended. 'Not sustainable' US officials said ahead of Rubio's first trip to the region as secretary of state that Washington was 'prioritising' its commitment to East and Southeast Asia. While US tariffs overshadowed the gathering, Rubio said he was 'warmly received' by Asian partners as he sought to placate concerns over the duties. 'If you look at some of these trade deficits, they're massive. That has to be addressed,' Rubio said at the end of his whirlwind trip. 'Everybody here is a mature leader who understands that that's not sustainable.' Trump has threatened punitive tariffs ranging from 20 to 50 per cent against more than 20 countries, many in Asia, if they do not strike deals with Washington by August 1. Asean described the tariffs as 'counterproductive' and a threat to regional growth, according to a joint statement released Friday. Long-time US ally Japan faces a 25 per cent across-the-board levy, separate from similar charges already imposed on cars, steel and aluminium. South Korea faces a similar tariff. Rubio met his Japanese and South Korean counterparts on Friday, with his spokeswoman Tammy Bruce calling it an 'indispensable relationship'. Wang told Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim earlier Friday that Washington's 'unilateral imposition of high tariffs is irresponsible and unpopular,' according to a foreign ministry statement. Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told a closing news conference the Asean meeting mentioned 'each country's concerns respectively' regarding tariffs. Tensions between the United States and China have ratcheted up since Trump took office in January, with both countries engaging in a tariff war that briefly sent duties on each other's exports sky-high. Deep mistrust Washington hit China with additional levies of 145 per cent on its goods as both sides engaged in tit-for-tat escalation, while China's countermeasures on US goods reached 125 per cent. Beijing and Washington agreed in May to temporarily slash the staggering tariffs — an outcome Trump dubbed a 'total reset'. However, deep mistrust remains between the two countries, with each suspecting the other of trying to weaken its influence. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused China in late May of 'credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power' in the Asia-Pacific region. He also claimed that Beijing 'trains every day' to invade self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory. In response, Chinese diplomats accused the United States of using the Taiwan issue to 'contain China' and called on Washington to stop 'playing with fire'. – AFP Asean Summit China meeting Rubio talks us Wang
New Straits Times
06-07-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Timor-Leste's Asean membership high on Asean foreign ministers' agenda
KUALA LUMPUR: Paving the way for Timor-Leste's accession to Asean will be high on the agenda of the bloc's foreign ministers gathering here from July 8 to 11. Foreign Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin said the Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) will ensure the full implementation of decisions made during the 46th Asean Summit to pave the way for Timor-Leste's full membership of the regional bloc. He said Timor-Leste's full membership is expected to take effect at the 47th summit in October. "Timor-Leste's participation in Asean was decided by Asean leaders during the 46th summit in May, and the effective date for its full membership will be during the 47th summit in October. "In the context of this upcoming ministerial meeting, as usual, Timor-Leste will continue to participate as an observer. "The focus at the Asean foreign ministers' level is to ensure the implementation of the decisions made during the 46th summit in May, so that everything is completed before the 47th summit in October so that on the first day of the summit, Timor-Leste will be admitted as a full member of," he said yesterday at a press briefing ahead of the 58th AMM and related meetings. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had said the Asean had agreed to accept Timor-Leste as a full member , pending the completion of legal requirements under the Asean Foreign Ministers' framework. The 58th AMM and related meetings, will feature 24 ministerial-level meetings, including engagements with Asean dialogue partners and sectoral dialogue partners. In conjunction with the meetings, Malaysia will also host the Fourth Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD IV). Co-chaired with Japan and Palestine, the conference will discuss initiatives to support the reconstruction and development of Gaza and Palestine. About 1,500 delegates, including foreign ministers from Asean and the bloc's partner nations, will gather for the high-level meetings, to be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
![[UPDATED] Asean committed to Timor-Leste's full membership by October, says Anwar](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fimages%2Farticles%2FBN052607255_1748342634.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
New Straits Times
27-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
[UPDATED] Asean committed to Timor-Leste's full membership by October, says Anwar
KUALA LUMPUR: Asean will do whatever is necessary to ensure that Timor-Leste becomes the 11th member of the economic bloc by October this year. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the bloc had agreed to accept Timor-Leste as a full member, pending the completion of necessary legal requirements under the Asean Foreign Ministers' (AFM) framework. "Timor-Leste was considered; they have been working hard, (but) there were parameters and pillars that need to be met, (including) political, economic, legal and they have tried very hard. "Malaysia, Indonesia and several other countries have assisted in many ways to help them meet the pre-conditions that were set for any entry into Asean, and I would say we are quite satisfied. "So the decision was clearly to agree that they would be accepted as a full member by the next session in October. "However, this is subject to one or two actions or reforms that must be undertaken, particularly to fulfil certain conditions under the economic pillar," he said. On Sunday, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said Timor-Leste must work "doubly hard" to secure full Asean membership, including adopting the necessary guidelines under the AFM framework related to Asean's legal instruments. While the regional bloc is eager to assist Timor-Leste, Mohamad said the country must also demonstrate its own commitment. He said that Malaysia, as this year's Asean chair, had proposed that Timor-Leste be admitted as the bloc's newest member despite not having fulfilled all 84 legal instruments required.
![[UPDATED] Timor-Leste's Asean entry gets full support from regional leaders](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fimages%2Farticles%2FASEAN_SUMMIT_2025_29ec58f5ed0b4c469b2de4ea9d332cd1_1748239050.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
New Straits Times
26-05-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
[UPDATED] Timor-Leste's Asean entry gets full support from regional leaders
KUALA LUMPUR: All Asean leaders are in support of Timor-Leste's accession to the regional bloc, says its Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão. Speaking to the media at the 46th Asean Summit, he expressed confidence that his country would be able to meet all the necessary criteria under the Asean legal framework. "We will try our best. We've already fulfilled many of the criteria, but there are still one, two, or three remaining. We will complete them before the end of the year," he said. When asked whether he was confident about meeting the requirements by October, the outgoing leader responded enthusiastically, "Yes!" "Because everyone supports us — everybody. It's incredible. "You know why? Because we are a small country, standing alone there," he added. Yesterday, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said Timor-Leste must work "doubly hard" to secure full Asean membership, including adopting the necessary guidelines under the Asean Foreign Ministers' (AFM) framework related to Asean's legal instruments. While the regional bloc is eager to assist Timor-Leste, Mohamad said that the country must also demonstrate its own commitment. He said that Malaysia, as this year's Asean chair, had proposed that Timor-Leste be admitted as the bloc's newest member despite not having fulfilled all 84 legal instruments required. Mohamad added that Malaysia viewed Timor-Leste's inclusion as significant and believes the country should be given several years to fully comply with the legal obligations for membership.
![[UPDATED] Mohamad: Asean supportive, but Timor-Leste must show commitment](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.nst.com.my%2Fimages%2Farticles%2FASEAN_SUMMIT_2025_4390f12d6dfb40c0a76c3e875564fa21_1748162813.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
New Straits Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
[UPDATED] Mohamad: Asean supportive, but Timor-Leste must show commitment
KUALA LUMPUR: Timor-Leste must work "doubly hard" to secure full membership in Asean, including adopting the necessary guidelines related to Asean legal instruments under the Asean Foreign Ministers' (AFM) framework. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said that while the economic bloc is keen to assist Timor-Leste, the country must also demonstrate its own commitment. "We will do our best to facilitate Timor-Leste's accession, because the majority of us (in Asean) want to see the country as part of the family. Now, Timor-Leste must work hard to fulfil and comply with the instruments (under the AFM framework), and we will try our best to assist them," he said. Mohamad said Malaysia, as Asean Chairman, has proposed that Timor-Leste be admitted into the economic bloc as its newest member this year, despite the country not yet having fulfilled all 84 of the bloc's legal instruments. He said Malaysia sees it as important for Timor-Leste to become part of the Asean family, and that the country should be given several years to meet all the legal instruments required for full compliance. "There are still many legal instruments that Timor-Leste must adopt, and from what we have seen, the number has been reduced from 84 to 66 — most of which fall under the purview of the Asean Economic Community Council. "At the same time, we are also exploring proposals that, if full compliance is not yet possible, Timor-Leste could be allowed to join first with a timeline set to fulfil the remaining conditions later," he said. He also said Asean will now begin undertaking their respective domestic legal procedures with the aim of finalising Timor-Leste's accession process by the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits in October 2025. This, he said, follows the adoption of the Addendum to the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty and its deposit with Thailand as the Depositary State. Meanwhile, asked about claims that the Philippines was blocking Timor-Leste's accession to Asean, Mohamad briefly said such claims were merely rumours. "Do not listen to rumours — there is no truth to it."
