ASEAN regional cooperation initiatives

During the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Manila (20‑24 July 2026), Indonesia’s foreign minister emphasized that ASEAN must deliver tangible development benefits, adopt an effective South‑China‑Sea code of conduct grounded in international law, and strengthen its institutions ahead of the bloc’s 60th anniversary. He also proposed a new forum of ASEAN consular‑affairs chiefs to protect citizens abroad and welcomed Turkey as the latest ASEAN dialogue partner.

India’s foreign minister called for a deeper India‑ASEAN partnership covering trade, technology, green sustainability and maritime security, and later co‑chaired the post‑ministerial conference that named 2026 the ASEAN‑India Year of Maritime Cooperation, expanding cooperation to digital technologies, AI and green development. He urged finalisation of an interim bilateral commerce agreement with ASEAN.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, discussing a possible September visit by President Xi to Washington while warning that Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz set a dangerous precedent. Rubio’s itinerary also included talks with Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, the Quad foreign ministers (U.S., India, Japan, Australia), and counterparts from South Korea and Japan on defence, maritime security and trans‑national crime, as well as a scheduled discussion with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. The summit featured a $2.5 billion U.S. pledge for ASEAN’s economic stability and a review of the India‑U.S. Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, underscoring ASEAN’s central role in coordinated trade diversification, AI development and supply‑chain resilience.