Southeast Asian foreign ministers hold a closed-doors retreat in Malaysia on Sunday, as the country hosts its first meeting as chair of the regional bloc ASEAN amid an intensifying civil war in Myanmar and confrontations in the South China Sea.

Southeast Asian foreign ministers are gathering for their first meeting this year under the regional bloc’s new chair, Malaysia, seeking a breakthrough over Myanmar’s drawn-out civil war and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Former Malaysian Foreign Ministry secretary-general Tan Sri Othman Hashim is the Special Envoy of the Asean Chair on Myanmar. Malaysian Foreign Minister

Asean has endorsed former Malaysian diplomat Othman Hashim as the Asean chair’s special envoy to Myanmar. He is the fifth special envoy on Myanmar to be appointed by Asean since the February 2021 military coup that sparked a political and humanitarian crisis in that country.

Southeast Asian foreign ministers convene in Malaysia to address pressing regional issues including Myanmar's civil unrest and tensions in the South China Sea. As ASEAN chair, Malaysia pushes for progress amid skepticism about resolving conflicts swiftly.

The regional bloc ASEAN and China should make headway on a protracted code of conduct for the South China Sea by tackling thorny "milestone issues", including its scope and if it can be legally binding,