Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsCan't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsThe Philippines president called an emergency meeting of top officials on Thursday amid widening political tensions, a day after gunfire rang out at the Senate where a lawmaker wanted by the International Criminal Court has been holed up fearing his arrest.
Leaders meeting on the Philippine island of Cebu stressed the urgency of a joint approach beyond the oil-sharing pact for the region that depends heavily on oil imports, making it particularly exposed to the unprecedented energy supply disruption caused by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
While supply chain woes sparked by the US-Israeli attack on Iran may dominate talks, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, now 11 strong with the addition of Timor-Leste, has a still-raging civil war in its own backyard.
Conflicts far beyond Southeast Asia are expected to dominate discussions of leaders of the regional ASEAN bloc meeting in the Philippines, with the Middle East crisis posing significant challenges for its fuel import-dependent economies.
The Philippines' northernmost province, with about 20,000 residents, sits around 100 miles south of Taiwan, along the Luzon Strait, a strategic corridor on the frontline of the great power competition between the US and China for dominance in the Asia-Pacific region.
"What the Asia-Pacific region most needs is peace and tranquility, and what it least needs is the introduction of external forces to create division and confrontation," Guo Jiakun, a ministry spokesperson, said at a regular press briefing in Beijing.
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.