Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship has piqued interest and built up expectations of tangible outcomes, especially in longstanding issues such as overlapping claims in the South China Sea among ASEAN member states and Beijing, as well as the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.

The French president arrived in Hanoi late Sunday, the first stop of a six-day trip that will also take in Indonesia and Singapore.

Prabowo is in Kuala Lumpur to attend the first ASEAN summit of his presidency, during which he is also expected to attend the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will also tackle pressing regional issues, attempting to increase pressure on Myanmar's military junta and iron out remaining issues with Timor Leste's application to join the bloc.

Timor-Leste is a step closer to fulfilling its longstanding wish to join the Southeast Asian regional bloc and could become its 11th member state by October, Malaysia's foreign minister said on Sunday.

Indonesia reiterated the need for a peaceful solution to the ongoing crisis in Myanmar during an extended troika meeting on the conflict-stricken Southeast Asian country, amid a series of ministerial meetings ahead of the upcoming ASEAN summit on Monday.

Indonesia and China have agreed to strengthen their ties after President Prabowo Subianto held a meeting with China’s Premier Li Qiang that culminated in the signing of a dozen partnership agreements and marked the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang warned on Sunday that the rise of "unilateralism and protectionism" could threaten the global economic and trade order, as he  reaffirmed Beijing's ties with Jakarta on Sunday during his visit to Indonesia ahead of a regional summit in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia's foreign minister on Sunday condemned "atrocities" in Gaza, saying they reflected "indifference and double standards" on the plight of the Palestinian people.

Helicopters were being used on Sunday to drop animal feed to farmers in Australia's New South Wales state stranded by floods that have killed five and isolated tens of thousands in the country's southeast.

China's Premier Li Qiang said on Saturday that China and Indonesia will promote "true multilateralism", the official Xinhua news agency reported, as he landed in Jakarta on a two-day visit to Southeast Asia's largest economy.

Nobel peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, 84, took over as interim head of the South Asian nation of 173 million last August after a student-led uprising forced then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India.

Trump's tariffs has roiled global markets and upended international commerce, and left leaders from the 10-member ASEAN bloc scrambling for ways to limit the fallout on their trade-dependent economies.

The Foreign Ministry has asserted that Indonesia, under the presidency of Prabowo Subianto, has not lost its interest in maintaining the centrality and unity of the regional bloc and will actively participate in negotiations on key issues.

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing flew into the Thai capital Bangkok for a closed-door meeting with Anwar last month and, a day later, the Malaysian leader held online talks with the shadow National Unity Government (NUG).

The first trip to Vietnam by a French president in nearly a decade is part of a larger tour of Southeast Asia. Macron is set to arrive in Hanoi on May 25, move to Indonesia on May 27 and finish in Singapore, where he will speak at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's top defence conference, starting on May 30.

President Prabowo Subianto’s recent visits to Southeast Asian neighbors have yet to dispel concerns over his lack of engagement with ASEAN as an institution, analysts say, warning that Indonesia risks drifting from its historic leadership role in the region in favor of bilateral diplomacy.

The migrant workers protection minister urged prospective Indonesian interns to be wary of exploitative schemes under Japan’s Technical Intern Training Program during a visit to the vocational training center in Lampung.

Australia's National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of over 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month.

Many claims have been made by the United States about settling other disputes, such as in the Middle East and in Ukraine, but there has been no peace there. 

Indonesia and Thailand have agreed to strengthen their strategic partnership in defense and trade, following President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to Bangkok just one week before the ASEAN summit in Malaysia.

President Prabowo Subianto is in Bangkok on Monday for an official visit, as he reconvenes with Thailand’s leaders to strengthen bilateral ties ahead of his first ASEAN summit in Malaysia and amid regional concerns over the ongoing tariff war started by the United States.

Sugiono said Macron would kick off his two-day visit to Indonesia on May 27, while Li is scheduled to arrive earlier. 

Sugiono said the 1945 State Constitution had given the mandate for the Indonesian government to join any efforts that would lead to the creation of the global peace.

A Thai court has issued arrest warrants for 17 people including a high-profile construction tycoon, police said on Thursday, over their alleged involvement in the building of a skyscraper that collapsed and killed scores of workers during a powerful March earthquake.

President Prabowo Subianto on Thursday threw a festive reception to welcome Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese back to the State Palace in Jakarta, marking their first official meeting following the latter’s second-term inauguration just two days prior.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese touted his country's defense cooperation with Indonesia during a visit to Jakarta on Thursday, his first trip abroad since his reelection.

Malaysia's premier Anwar Ibrahim said Wednesday he discussed the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 with Russian President Vladimir Putin, days after the UN's aviation agency blamed the 2014 tragedy on Moscow.

President Prabowo Subianto made a surprise visit to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at his hotel in Jakarta on Wednesday night, in a gesture of friendship ahead of their bilateral talks.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet with President Prabowo Subianto on Thursday to discuss defense cooperation and global trade, after arriving in Jakarta on his first international visit since his reelection.