The Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN has agreed that an election in Myanmar was not a priority and is urging the country's ruling junta to adhere to its peace commitments instead, Malaysia's foreign minister said on Friday.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said there were “areas of potential cooperation” between Washington and Beijing, and stressed the importance of managing differences, following his first in-person meeting with his Chinese counterpart as he wrapped up a two-day regional security forum in Malaysia.

To develop a more coordinated regional response to economic headwinds and rising trade tensions, ASEAN foreign and economic ministers are set to hold a joint meeting in October ahead of a leaders' summit.

He was speaking to Singapore media after the 58th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Asean has emerged as a trusted platform by global superpowers and many countries are "queuing" up to sign up as partners to the Southeast Asian regional group, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday called for deeper cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), citing shared challenges and strategic interests between Türkiye and the Asia-Pacific bloc. “Türkiye stands ready to support ASEAN’s 2045 vision for a resilient, inclusive, and sustainable community,” he said.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Wednesday urged Southeast Asian countries to "act with purpose" and enhance trade among each other in the face of global uncertainty, as regional foreign ministers met amid renewed jitters over U.

Southeast Asian football's brightest prospects will get the chance to showcase their abilities once more when the biennial ASEAN U-23 Championship returns in July. Officially known as the ASEAN U-23 Mandiri Cup 2025, the tournament kicks off on July 15 and will run all the way through to July 29.

Singapore has described the overall mood of the series of ASEAN meetings as "sober", amid ongoing hot wars and what Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said were "rapid-fire" tariff announcements. He said ASEAN is working internally to reduce friction and barriers,

While the lack of progress on trade agreements is a concern, economists at Capital Economics expect most Asian nations to reach deals that subject U.S.-bound goods to tariffs in the range of 10% to 20%.

Foreign Minister Sugiono emphasized the importance of an equal, fair, and inclusive partnership between ASEAN and the European Union (EU) to maximize