ASEAN Foreign Ministers Open Talks on Myanmar, Cambodia–Thailand Border and South China Sea

CEBU, Philippines, Jan 29, 2026 (KPT) — Southeast Asian foreign ministers have opened talks in the Philippines to tackle major regional challenges, including Myanmar’s civil war, tensions in the South China Sea and a border dispute between Cambodia and Thailand.

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat, held in Cebu City under the Philippines’ chairmanship, aims to set the bloc’s agenda for the year.

Philippine Foreign Minister Ma. Theresa Lazaro said the global security environment had become more “challenging” and “complex and interconnected.”

She pledged Manila’s commitment to the international rules-based order and reaffirmed ASEAN’s principles of restraint, dialogue and international law.

“Across our region, we continue to see tensions at sea, protracted internal conflicts and unresolved border and humanitarian concerns,” Lazaro told her counterparts.

Myanmar remains a central focus. The Philippines recently hosted a dialogue among opponents of the ruling military junta to encourage talks and facilitate humanitarian aid.

The 2021 coup sparked mass protests that were violently suppressed, leading to a prolonged civil war involving multiple armed groups.

Lazaro, also serving as ASEAN’s special envoy on Myanmar, led consultations on the bloc’s Five-Point Consensus.

In a post on X, she said ASEAN’s 11 members had “discussed ways forward” and reaffirmed their “collective resolve” for a Myanmar-owned, Myanmar-led solution.

ASEAN spokesperson Dax Imperial said ministers welcomed initiatives to engage political and ethnic groups but had not decided whether to recognise Myanmar’s recent elections, widely criticised as lacking credibility.

He added it remained unclear if the bloc would engage with the country’s newly elected leadership.