DefenceTalkEconomic cooperation and the disputed South China Sea will be on the agenda when Southeast Asian foreign ministers meet their Chinese, Japanese and South Korean counterparts for ASEAN-plus-three talks on Thursday. China will be represented at the talks by top diplomat Wang Yi instead of Foreign Minister Qin Gang after Qin pulled out for “health […]https://www.defencetalk.com/asean-plus-three-to-meet-on-south-china-sea-economic-ties-80055/

DefenceTalkRussia and a number of Southeast Asian countries kicked off their first ever joint naval exercise along the Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s most important shipping lanes, on Wednesday, Indonesia’s navy said. The drills come at a time of growing tensions in the Pacific, particularly around the South China Sea, which Beijing claims […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-asean-hold-first-naval-drills-off-indonesian-coast-77532/

Beijing said Sunday it is “ready to work” with Southeast Asian nations on a code of conduct in the flashpoint South China Sea, where it is accused of bullying fellow claimants and building up military installations. China claims most of the resource-rich waterway, a major global shipping route and long a source of tension among […]

DefenceTalkSoutheast Asian nations Monday ducked direct criticism of Beijing over its claims to the South China Sea, in a diluted statement produced after days of disagreement that gives the superpower a diplomatic victory. The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) avoided mention of a ruling by a UN-backed tribunal in early July that rejected […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-victory-as-se-asian-nations-go-easy-on-sea-row-67909/

DefenceTalkChinese pressure was blamed Thursday for a stunning diplomatic U-turn by Southeast Asian Nations that saw them retract a statement sounding alarm over Beijing’s island building in the South China Sea. The chaotic events at the end of a meeting of foreign ministers from China and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on […]https://www.defencetalk.com/china-blamed-for-asean-u-turn-on-south-china-sea-67687/

DefenceTalkDeputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter is traveling to Asia to meet with U.S. allies and partners and continue defense consultations on a range of common security challenges. Carter will visit defense and government officials in Yokota, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; Manila, the Philippines; and Jakarta, Indonesia. In Jakarta he will hold bilateral meetings, attend a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/carter-visits-asia-to-discuss-common-security-challenges-47185/