Myanmar violence and sea disputes to dominate ASEAN talks joined by US, Russian and Chinese envoys

By NINIEK KARMINI and JIM GOMEZ
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Myanmar’s prolonged civil strife, tensions in the disputed South China Sea and concern over arms buildups in the region are expected to dominate the agenda when Southeast Asia’s top diplomats gather for talks this week in Indonesia. Russia’s year-old invasion of Ukraine and the U.S.-China rivalry will also be under the spotlight as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang participate as dialogue partners of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. Organizers say North Korea’s foreign minister, Choe Son Hui, will not attend the ASEAN Regional Forum, a key regional security meeting.