Latest news with #SoutheastAsianNuclearWeapon-FreeZone
Barnama
2 days ago
- Politics
- Barnama
New Zealand Backs ASEAN's Resolve For Nuclear-Free Region Amid Rising Global Tensions
KUALA LUMPUR, July 11 -- New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters attends the 15th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in conjunction with the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) and related meetings at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre Friday. -- fotoBERNAMA (2025) COPYRIGHT RESERVED By Wan Muhammad Aslah Wan Razali KUALA LUMPUR, July 13 (Bernama) -- New Zealand has voiced firm support for ASEAN's continuous efforts to keep the region free of nuclear weapons, describing the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty as a vital pillar of regional peace and security. Its Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the treaty, which came into effect in 1997, is 'a tangible demonstration of ASEAN's deep-rooted wish' to prevent nuclear escalation, especially as nuclear-armed states continue to modernise and expand their arsenals amid growing global tensions. bootstrap slideshow 'We are a State Party to the Treaty of Rarotonga, which established the South Pacific nuclear-free zone. 'We also support other nuclear weapon-free zones and their importance in contributing to regional peace and security,' he said in a written response to Bernama on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) and Related Meetings. Peters said New Zealand views SEANWFZ as part of a broader network of nuclear weapon-free zones across the southern hemisphere, including in Latin America, Africa, and the South Pacific. He stressed the importance of these zones in reinforcing global disarmament norms, especially at a time when strategic uncertainties are intensifying. 'It's even more critical that, as fellow members of nuclear weapon-free zone treaties, we continue to support each other in upholding their principles. 'It's also important that we continue to cooperate in support of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which both our countries have joined,' he said.
Malaysia Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- Malaysia Sun
China agrees to Southeast Asia nuclear ban amid US tariff tensions
Kuala Lumpur [Malaysia], July 10 (ANI): China has agreed to sign a Southeast Asian treaty banning nuclear weapons, a move hailed by regional diplomats amid rising global security tensions and looming US tariffs, Al Jazeera reported. The confirmation came during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, where Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said Beijing had committed to signing the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) treaty. 'China made a commitment to ensure that they will sign the treaty without reservation,' Hasan told reporters, adding that the formal signing would proceed once all required documentation is finalized. The SEANWFZ treaty, in effect since 1997, limits nuclear activity in the region to peaceful purposes such as energy generation. According to Al Jazeera, ASEAN has repeatedly urged the five recognized nuclear powers -- China, the US, Russia, France, and the UK -- to sign the agreement and uphold the region's non-nuclear status, including within its exclusive economic zones and continental shelves. The development comes as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits Asia for the first time since assuming office. Rubio arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday under the shadow of US President Donald Trump's aggressive trade strategy, which includes steep tariffs on several ASEAN countries, Al Jazeera reported. Trump's tariffs -- set to take effect on August 1 -- include a 25 percent duty on Malaysia, 32 percent on Indonesia, 36 percent on Cambodia and Thailand, and 40 percent on Laos and Myanmar. Japan and South Korea, key US allies in the region, face 25 percent tariffs, while Australia faces the possibility of a 200 percent duty on pharmaceutical exports to the US. Only Vietnam and the UK have managed to strike separate trade deals with the US. According to Trump, the US will impose a reduced 20 percent tariff on many Vietnamese exports and allow zero percent duty for US products going into Vietnam. 'Any transshipments from third countries through Vietnam will face a 40 percent levy,' Trump said while announcing the agreement on Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported. Reporting from Kuala Lumpur, Al Jazeera's Rob McBride said, 'The ASEAN countries are facing some of the highest tariffs from the Trump administration. They were also among the first to receive new letters announcing yet another delay in the imposition of these tariffs, now pushed to 1 August.' McBride added that the uncertainty has driven ASEAN nations to seek stronger trade ties with alternative partners, most notably China. 'These tariffs have provided an impetus for all of these ASEAN nations to seek out closer trade links with other parts of the world,' he said. China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is also in Kuala Lumpur for discussions with ASEAN leaders, reflecting Beijing's increasing diplomatic engagement in the region. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also holding talks in Malaysia, promoting Moscow's vision of a 'multipolar world order,' Al Jazeera reported. 'Lavrov might be shunned in other parts of the world,' McBride noted, 'but he is here in Malaysia, meeting with ASEAN members and promoting this alternative global structure.' At the same time, Rubio is expected to push back against that narrative. 'Many ASEAN members are traditional allies of the United States,' McBride said. 'But they are somewhat nervous about the tariffs and recent US foreign policy moves. Rubio is here to reassure them that all is well in trans-Pacific relations.' As the geopolitical contest for influence intensifies, Al Jazeera observed that ASEAN finds itself at the center of strategic courtship from major global powers, holding the potential to shape future international alignments. Rubio's visit signals Washington's intention to reassert its focus on the Asia-Pacific after years of prioritizing crises in Europe and the Middle East. His last high-level interaction with Russian officials took place in Saudi Arabia in February as part of efforts to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war, Al Jazeera reported. Analysts suggest Rubio's main challenge will be restoring confidence among Southeast Asian nations rattled by US trade policies. Despite economic tensions, he is expected to position the US as a more reliable partner than China in matters of long-term investment and regional security. ASEAN, for its part, continues to play a leading diplomatic role in addressing regional crises, including efforts to resolve the prolonged civil war in Myanmar that began with a military coup in 2021. (ANI)
New Straits Times
07-07-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Timor-Leste to sign Bangkok Treaty, expanding nuclear weapon-free zone
KUALA LUMPUR: Timor-Leste's participation in the Bangkok Treaty, also known as the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Treaty, will expand the international instrument's geographic scope of application. Foreign Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin said Timor-Leste's participation in the treaty was a positive development as the island nation is set to join Asean. "Timor-Leste will join the SEANWFZ. It will expand the geographic scope of the treaty. "This is a positive aspect from Timor-Leste's new membership in Asean," he said after the SEANWFZ executive committee meeting here today. He said the goal was to get countries with nuclear weapons to sign the treaty to protect the region from nuclear weapon harm. He said although there was progress in the past years, efforts must be heightened to get more signatories. "The main issue is to get nuclear weapon states to accede the protocols or the treaty. "There has been progress, but we need more significant progress." China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States are listed as nuclear weapon states under the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty. Previously, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan announced that China and Russia had agreed to sign the SEANWFZ Treaty, while the US was reviewing it. On May 25, the Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting adopted the draft addendum to the SEANWFZ Treaty. The addendum provides the legal basis to enable Asean member states and Timor-Leste to undertake domestic procedures for accession, marking Timor-Leste's integration into Asean's political and security frameworks. The meeting in May also adopted the Guidelines to Facilitate Timor-Leste's Accession to Asean Legal Instruments and Agreements, marking continued progress towards Timor-Leste's full membership in Asean, scheduled to take place in October. The Bangkok Treaty was signed on Dec 15, 1995 by 10 Asean member states and registered with the United Nations on June 27, 1997.
