ASEAN leaders and ministers began summit meetings in Cebu on Thursday with energy security and supply chain resilience emerging as key priorities amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
The regional bloc is expected to discuss a coordinated response to possible disruptions in oil and food supplies, with the Philippines, this year’s ASEAN chair, pushing for progress on a regional fuel-sharing framework.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro said ASEAN must strengthen “crisis coordination and institutional readiness” as developments outside the region continue to have immediate economic consequences for Southeast Asia’s nearly 700 million people.
A draft joint statement seen by Reuters showed ASEAN leaders are expected to call for uninterrupted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, a route that handles roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies.
The statement also urged good-faith negotiations between the US and Iran and stressed the need to safeguard the flow of energy, fuel, food and pharmaceuticals across the region.
The summit also comes as ASEAN faces pressure to manage its own regional disputes. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is scheduled to hold a three-way meeting with Thai and Cambodian leaders following last year’s unresolved border clashes despite an existing ceasefire.
Myanmar’s political crisis is also expected to feature prominently, with the bloc considering how to re-engage with the country’s new military-backed civilian government after years of diplomatic isolation. The Philippines has called for ASEAN’s special envoy to be granted access to detained former leader Aung San Suu Kyi as a sign of Myanmar’s commitment to reconciliation.
ASEAN leaders are also expected to renew calls for progress on a South China Sea code of conduct with China, although negotiations remain slow amid competing regional interests.
