politics
U.S. Secretary Rubio Travels to Manila for ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting
Marco Rubio departed Joint Base Andrews on July 19 for the 59th ASEAN gathering in the Philippine capital. Discussions are set to address the Middle East crisis, Myanmar's civil war, and South China Sea tensions.
Jul 20, 6:46 PM·1m read2 sources
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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio departed Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on July 19 for the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila. Foreign ministers from the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and partners including China, India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Russia, Britain, and the European Union are gathering in the Philippine capital this week.
Al-Monitor reported that the Middle East crisis is expected to feature prominently in the talks. Philippine spokesperson Dominic Xavier Imperial said the delegations have several occasions to raise the topic. Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi are both scheduled to attend and could meet on the sidelines.
ASEAN foreign ministers will hold an informal consultation on Myanmar on July 22. The bloc launched a peace initiative for the country five years ago after a military coup. Myanmar's civil war has killed an estimated 100,000 people.
Myanmar's conflict and tensions in the South China Sea are also expected to be key discussion points among the ministers.
