Latest news with #SEANWFZ
Times of Oman
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Will nuclear powers help keep nukes out of Southeast Asia?
Kuala Lumpur: As global powers vie for influence in Southeast Asia, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is renewing its push towards nuclear disarmament. The ASEAN has long urged China, the US, the UK, Russia, and France to sign the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ) accords. Adopted by ASEAN in 1995, the SEANWFZ (also known as the Bangkok treaty) aims to keep the region free of "nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction" while allowing for civilian use of nuclear energy. Following the ASEAN Regional Forum in Kuala Lumpur last week, the bloc's current chair Malaysia urged nuclear powers to "recognize the need to completely eliminate nuclear weapons." Beijing has already confirmed it will endorse SEANWFZ, according to Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan. "China made a commitment to ensure that they will sign the treaty without reservation," Hasan told reporters on the sidelines of an ASEAN diplomatic event last week. Will US and Russia also join SEANWFZ? Hasan also indicated that Russia, which owns the world's largest nuclear arsenal, will sign the agreement as well. While Moscow has yet to comment on the issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Malaysia in early July for a series of high-profile meetings. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also in Kuala Lumpur last week for several multilateral and bilateral talks. However, it remains unclear if the US intends to sign the SEANWFZ. Both Washington and Moscow are keen to secure their influence in the region, including in the field of nuclear energy, as several ASEAN states are looking for outside partners to develop civilian nuclear programmes. A fading global order Partnerships with Washington, however, may not be as reliable as they once were. President Donald Trump's administration is pursuing a mercurial and shifting foreign policy, leaving Southeast Asia with the general sense that the rules and norms of the international order are crumbling, and the US' credibility and interest in the region are fading fast. Most Southeast Asian countries have reacted by advancing relations with Russia and China over the past few months, recognizing that Lavrov, Russia's top diplomat, may be correct in saying that the international community is fragmenting into a "multipolar world order." This leaves room for China to expand its diplomatic clout at Washington's expense. By endorsing the SEANWFZ, Beijing wants to show that it "cares about ASEAN at the same time as the US is potentially tariffing Southeast Asian states and trying to use them to isolate China, which they don't want to do," Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, told DW. "China loses nothing because there's little likelihood anyway it would need to use nukes in Southeast Asia," he added. Also, Beijing can now emphasize the contrast between its own policy and the AUKUS pact involving the US, the UK and Australia. The agreement between the three nations allows for the use of nuclear-powered submarines in the Asia-Pacific. China deploying submarines in South China Sea Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington, told DW that "China will absolutely not abide by the terms of the SEANWFZ." The SEANWFZ treaty commits its signatories not to move nuclear weapons through the region or its waterways. In recent years, however, China has been accused of "bunkering" its submarines in the South China Sea, a contested maritime area that several Southeast Asian states dispute with Beijing. In 2023, the Reuters news agency reported that China had begun to keep at least one nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine at sea at all times, with many patrolling the waters from Hainan to the South China Sea. Last year, the US military asserted that Beijing was preparing to deploy floating nuclear reactors near the artificial islands it has reclaimed in the South China Sea. Beijing wants to portray itself as reliableChina is believed to possess hundreds of operational nuclear warheads, and — according to the Pentagon — continues to expand its nuclear arsenal. "But that Beijing is willing to be the first outside nuclear power to sign the SEANWFZ is diplomatically smart and at least pays lip service to ASEAN centrality," Abuza noted, referring to the concept that ASEAN should be at the heart of broader Asia-Pacific diplomacy. "China is doing everything it can to portray itself as the responsible stakeholder in the region, committed to rules and norms. Beijing wants to paint Washington as the disruptor of the status quo and economic growth in the region," Abuza said. For political scientist and founder of the weekly ASEAN Wonk newsletter Prashanth Parameswaran, proper non-proliferation efforts would require more than just signing the SEANWFZ treaty. The vision of a regional nuclear-free zone has "historically carried normative weight" among some ASEAN states, including Malaysia, he told DW. However, Parameswaran points out that "no one in the region is under the illusion that this alone will necessarily restrain what nuclear powers will do or reverse the worrying state of the nuclear non-proliferation regime more generally."
DW
14-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Will nuclear powers help keep nukes out of Southeast Asia? – DW – 07/14/2025
With uncertainty rising in Southeast Asia, some regional leaders are doubling down on the decades-old SEANWFZ treaty aimed to keep out nuclear weapons. The US, Russia and China could use it as a diplomatic lever. As global powers vie for influence in Southeast Asia, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is renewing its push towards nuclear disarmament. The ASEAN has long urged China, the US, the UK, Russia, and France to sign the Southeast Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ) accords. Adopted by ASEAN in 1995, the SEANWFZ (also known as the Bangkok treaty) aims to keep the region free of "nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction" while allowing for civilian use of nuclear energy. Following the ASEAN Regional Forum in Kuala Lumpur last week, the bloc's current chair Malaysia urged nuclear powers to "recognize the need to completely eliminate nuclear weapons." To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Beijing has already confirmed it will endorse SEANWFZ, according to Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan. "China made a commitment to ensure that they will sign the treaty without reservation," Hasan told reporters on the sidelines of an ASEAN diplomatic event last week. Hasan also indicated that Russia, the world's biggest nuclear power, will sign the agreement as well. While Moscow has yet to comment on the issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov visited Malaysia in early July for a series of high-profile meetings. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also in Kuala Lumpur last week for several multilateral and bilateral talks. However, it remains unclear if the US intends to sign the SEANWFZ. Both Washington and Moscow are keen to secure their influence in the region, including in the field of nuclear energy, as several ASEAN states are looking for outside partners to develop civilian nuclear programs. Partnerships with Washington, however, may not be as reliable as they once were. President Donald Trump's administration is pursuing a mercurial and shifting foreign policy, leaving Southeast Asia with the general sense that the rules and norms of the international order are crumbling, and America's credibility and interest in the region are fading fast. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Most Southeast Asian countries have reacted by advancing relations with Russia and China over the past few months, recognizing that Lavrov, Russia's top diplomat, may be correct in saying that the international community is fragmenting into a "multipolar world order." This leaves room for China to expand its diplomatic clout at Washington's expense. By endorsing the SEANWFZ, Beijing wants to show that it "cares about ASEAN at the same time as the US is potentially tariffing Southeast Asian states and trying to use them to isolate China, which they don't want to do," Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, told DW. "China loses nothing because there's little likelihood anyway it would need to use nukes in Southeast Asia," he added. Also, Beijing can now emphasize the contrast between its own policy and the AUKUS pact involving the US, the UK and Australia. The agreement between the three nations allows for the use of nuclear-powered submarines in the Asia-Pacific. Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington, told DW that "China will absolutely not abide by the terms of the SEANWFZ." The SEANWFZ treaty commits its signatories not to move nuclear weapons through the region or its waterways. In recent years, however, China has been accused of "bunkering" its submarines in the South China Sea, a contested maritime area that several Southeast Asian states dispute with Beijing. In 2023, the Reuters news agency reported that China had begun to keep at least one nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine at sea at all times, with many patrolling the waters from Hainan to the South China Sea. Last year, the US military asserted that Beijing was preparing to deploy floating nuclear reactors near the artificial islands it has reclaimed in the South China Sea. China is believed to possess hundreds of operational nuclear warheads, and — according to the Pentagon — continues to expand its nuclear arsenal. "But that Beijing is willing to be the first outside nuclear power to sign the SEANWFZ is diplomatically smart and at least pays lip service to ASEAN centrality," Abuza noted, referring to the concept that ASEAN should be at the heart of broader Asia-Pacific diplomacy. "China is doing everything it can to portray itself as the responsible stakeholder in the region, committed to rules and norms. Beijing wants to paint Washington as the disruptor of the status quo and economic growth in the region," Abuza said. For political scientist and founder of the weekly ASEAN Wonk newsletter Prashanth Parameswaran, proper non-proliferation efforts would require more than just signing the SEANWFZ treaty. The vision of a regional nuclear-free zone has "historically carried normative weight" among some ASEAN states, including Malaysia, he told DW. However, Parameswaran points out that "no one in the region is under the illusion that this alone will necessarily restrain what nuclear powers will do or reverse the worrying state of the nuclear non-proliferation regime more generally."
Barnama
13-07-2025
- 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.
The Star
12-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Malaysia eyes TVET expansion in Russia
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is keen to increase enrolment for Malaysian students, particularly for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes, in Russia. This was conveyed by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan during his bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, held on the sidelines of the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Mohamad said that Malaysia and Russia also explored ways to enhance cooperation and ties in technical fields, as well as other areas of mutual interest. 'I expressed Malaysia's interest in securing more placements for our students, and Russia has agreed,' he told reporters after the meeting, Bernama reported. The two ministers also touched on broader regional cooperation, including Russia's potential signing of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ). 'Russia is considering signing the SEANWFZ treaty with Asean and the documentation will be negotiated at the official level,' said Mohamad. Russia established relations with Asean in 1991. The country became a full-fledged dialogue partner in 1996. In 2018, the relationship was elevated to a strategic partnership. In his remarks at the Asean Plus Three meeting, Mohamad said rising unilateralism and nationalism are increasingly sidelining multilateral cooperation – a core pillar of global stability now under strain. 'Today, we are once again being tested. The region is facing what might be called the perfect storm. 'The challenges are multi-fold, ranging from intensifying great power rivalry, economic fragmentation, technological disruptions and transboundary threats.' Despite the difficulties, Mohamad expressed confidence in the region's ability to overcome them through 'collective steadfastness and strong commitment to dialogue and cooperation'. Established in 1997 to address the Asian financial crisis, the Asean Plus Three framework has since evolved into one of the region's most resilient models of cooperation. Meanwhile, Asean foreign ministers hailed the Asean-Canada Free Trade Agreement (Acafta) as a vital platform to unlock deeper economic collaboration in digital trade, artificial intelligence, green technology and clean energy. Wisma Putra said the sectors are seen as critical to the region's sustainable and inclusive growth. It said that ministers from across South-East Asia acknowledged the 'positive momentum' in ongoing Acafta negotiations. The deal, when concluded, is expected to serve as a key economic pillar within Canada's Indo-Pacific strategy, offering a framework to align regulations, foster innovation and enhance regional resilience.
Times of Oman
11-07-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
China agrees to Southeast Asia nuclear ban amid US tariff tensions
Kuala Lumpur: 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.
