ASEAN draft statement calls for open straits amid US-Iran war

Southeast Asian foreign ministers are expected to call for freedom of navigation in international straits when they conclude a week of meetings in Manila that have been overshadowed by the US-Iran war.

A draft communique from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathering says the ministers will repeat calls for self-restraint in the Middle East conflict. The source says the conflict has had economic effects across the region.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told ASEAN envoys this week that Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz would set a dangerous precedent. He said a fundamental principle of freedom of navigation was threatened.

The draft communique uses new language on freedom of navigation in, and overflight above, straits. It also separately calls for unimpeded passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

The source says the strait's closure after joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran has left many countries in Southeast Asia dealing with energy shortages and higher prices. The import-dependent Philippines has declared a national emergency.

The draft refers to energy cooperation among ASEAN states, but the source says no progress has been revealed on earlier proposals such as a regional energy grid or a fuel-sharing scheme.

Southeast Asia includes two of the world's busiest shipping routes, the Strait of Malacca and the Strait of Singapore.

The Manila meetings began Tuesday after another clash between China and the Philippines in the disputed South China Sea. After President Ferdinand Marcos summoned China's ambassador over the incident, Ambassador Jing Quan said the incident would not affect efforts to complete a Code of Conduct for the waterway.

Jing said China's willingness to finish the code talks by the end of the year had not changed. Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told local media Wednesday that he believed the deal would be completed by the ASEAN leaders meeting in Manila in November.

Jing said the code would not address bilateral issues such as China's territorial disputes with the Philippines, and would instead focus on rules of engagement for the waterway. The source says analysts have long warned that any document acceptable to both Beijing and ASEAN states would lack force.