Southeast Asian foreign ministers are gathering for their first meeting this year under the regional bloc’s new chair, Malaysia, seeking a breakthrough over Myanmar’s drawn-out civil war and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (second, right) held a bilateral meeting with Thailand's Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat (AMM) at the Langkawi International Convention Centre (LICC) today. --fotoBERNAMA (2025) COPYRIGHT RESERVED

Foreign Ministers Maris Sangiampongsa and Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan were asked if ASEAN would accept China’s offer to help member countries enhance enforcement efforts to combat online scams. Maris acknowledged that discussions were still at a preliminary stage.

Malaysia has appointed a new ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar to try and implement the regional bloc’s stalled peace plan for the war-torn country.

From left to right, Thailand's Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, Vietnam's Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan clap after a group photo session during the

LANGKAWI, Malaysia - Southeast Asian nations told Myanmar's military government on Sunday its plan to hold an election amid an escalating civil war should not be its priority, urging the junta to start dialogue and end hostilities immediately.

ASEAN's fifth envoy to Myanmar, Tan Sri Othman Hashim, appointed during the bloc's meeting of foreign ministers.

LANGKAWI: Thailand and Malaysia emphasised the importance of collaboration in addressing pressing regional and global issues, including human trafficking and Asean solidarity.

Malaysia’s Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, has safely arrived in Langkawi Friday (Jan 17) for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers (AMM) Retreat, which is set to take place on Saturday.

Singapore’s foreign affairs minister was speaking after the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Langkawi on Jan 18 and 19, the first high-level meeting hosted by Malaysia as the bloc’s 2025 chair.

By Uditha Devapriya To me, the most important takeaway from the latest BRICS Summit, in Kazan, Russia, was not India signalling towards a new chapter in its ties with China. It was not even Türkiye’s application to join the group.

LANGKAWI - Asean needs to double down on regional integration to enhance the grouping’s competitiveness, especially at a time when changes to geopolitical structures and economic policy are taking place worldwide, said Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.