A series of foreign ministers' meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will begin on the 2nd, and discussions will be held on issues such as the South China Sea, where China is strengthening its marine expansion.
A series of ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meetings will be held online until the 7th of this month, and on the 2nd of the first day, a meeting of foreign ministers from 10 ASEAN member countries will be held.
The draft joint statement obtained by NHK contains concerns about the issue of the South China Sea, which has a sovereignty dispute, with China in mind as it strengthens its expansion.
In the South China Sea, it has been confirmed that China has become a military base for the islands and the berth of Chinese fishing boats in the waters near the Philippines, and tensions are rising, so the focus is on how strongly ASEAN can issue a message to deter such actions. Will be.
In addition, regarding the situation in Myanmar, it is expected that ASEAN will discuss the implementation of five items such as the immediate suspension of violence agreed in April and the dispatch of special envoys, and attention is being paid to whether progress will be made toward the appointment of special envoys.
In addition to ASEAN, the series of conferences will include the EAS = East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in which Japan, the United States, and China participate, and the ARF = ASEAN Regional Forum to discuss security issues.
It is expected that the United States and China, where tensions continue, will compete with each other with the aim of strengthening relations with ASEAN countries and expanding their influence on the region.