The crisis in the Middle East cast a shadow over a diplomatic meeting in Southeast Asia on Tuesday, where foreign ministers expressed serious concern over the resumption of hostilities that are increasing uncertainty in a region struggling to cope with tensions and conflicts, UNN reports, citing Reuters.
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Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, which includes 11 member countries, and key partners are holding meetings in Manila this week amid instability since the resumption of open conflict between the United States and Iran, raising concerns about energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as inflation and global growth.
Risks have increased in recent days, as Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis announced a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia, opening a potentially new front in the conflict and raising the threat to global energy supplies and trade beyond the Persian Gulf.
Houthis announce naval blockade of Saudi Arabia amid US-Iran tensions20.07.26, 23:58
"We are deeply concerned that these developments seriously undermine the ongoing efforts of key mediators and reduce the prospects for a peaceful settlement through dialogue and diplomacy,"
Southeast Asia, a major oil importer with a combined gross domestic product of $3.8 trillion, is severely affected by the supply crisis and is seeking to accelerate the oil distribution mechanism within ASEAN to mitigate its impact.
ASEAN has no shortage of challenges closer to home and will hold consultations on Tuesday regarding the conflict in Myanmar, as the bloc's peace initiative falters five years after a military coup plunged the country into a civil war that has killed about 100,000 people.
Officials are also likely to discuss tensions in the South China Sea, as ASEAN and China are still trying to finalize a code of conduct to prevent the escalation of disputes after nearly 10 years.
Ahead of the meeting, US ally the Philippines accused Chinese Coast Guard personnel of aggressively striking one of its naval personnel on the head with a baton on Monday near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.
China's Coast Guard called this a "lie," and Beijing said on Tuesday it had summoned the Philippine ambassador.
The US State Department condemned what it called China's "dangerous and aggressive" actions, which it described as "a troubling trend of Chinese provocations against legitimate Philippine maritime operations."
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will join the ASEAN-hosted meeting in the coming days and may meet on the sidelines. Also present will be India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, among others.
Without naming China, Rubio criticized Beijing in an article published in Philippine newspapers after his arrival in Manila on Tuesday, reaffirming the US commitment to freedom of navigation but warning that such freedom is "by no means guaranteed."
"If these waters come under the control of a state that wishes to use trade as a geopolitical weapon, both the United States and ASEAN states will face new serious threats to their sovereignty, security, and economic future," Rubio said in the article.
Rubio reiterated that the 2016 arbitration ruling, which invalidated China's extensive sovereignty claims in the South China Sea, is final and binding, and stated that the US will fulfill its commitments to the Philippines and other allies, "as they face new and coercive threats to our shared interests."
China does not recognize the arbitration ruling, which was issued in favor of the Philippines.
Rubio says Chinese leader Xi still intends to visit the US after Trump's speech20.07.26, 13:17