Regional trade
FILE - In this Thursday, Sept. 1, 2020, file photo, Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab arrives to attend a cabinet meeting of senior government ministers at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office FCO in London. Raab is heading to Southeast Asia Monday, June 21, 2021, on start a three-nation trip as London looks to promote closer ties and trade with the region following its exit from the European Union. (Toby Melville/Pool via AP, File)
British FM heads to Southeast Asia looking for closer ties

By David Rising Jun. 21, 2021 06:20 AM EDT

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, officials from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries attend the 19th Senior Officials' Meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in Chongqing, southwestern China, June 7, 2021. China is hosting foreign ministers from 10 Southeast Asian nations this week in the southwestern megacity of Chongqing amid heightened competition between Beijing and Washington for influence in the region. (Wang Quanchao/Xinhua via AP)
China pledges further COVID-19 aid to Southeast Asia

Jun. 08, 2021 12:05 AM EDT

In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, officials from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries attend the 19th Senior Officials' Meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in Chongqing, southwestern China, June 7, 2021. China is hosting foreign ministers from 10 Southeast Asian nations this week in the southwestern megacity of Chongqing amid heightened competition between Beijing and Washington for influence in the region. (Wang Quanchao/Xinhua via AP)
China hosts Southeast Asian ministers as it competes with US

Jun. 06, 2021 11:58 PM EDT

Anti-coup protesters burn tires and chant slogans with banner read ''The Kamayut strike will be fight for to the end when we get victory" during the demonstration against the military coup in Kamayut township Yangon, Monday, May 3, 2021. (AP Photo)
China's UN envoy: Myanmar violence could lead to civil war

By Edith M. Lederer May. 03, 2021 09:48 PM EDT

Anti-coup protesters run after seeing police and soldiers arrive to disperse their demonstration in Yangon, Myanmar, Tuesday, April 27, 2021. Demonstrations have continued in many parts of the country since Saturday's meeting of leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, as have arrests and beatings by security forces despite an apparent agreement by junta leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing to end the violence. (AP Photo)
UN calls for return to democracy in Myanmar, end to violence

By Edith M. Lederer Apr. 30, 2021 01:53 PM EDT

Anti-coup protesters flash the three-finger salute, holding banner read " Yangon Strike will defeat all enemies" during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, on Monday, April 26, 2021. Southeast Asian leaders have demanded an immediate end to killings and the release of political detainees in Myanmar during an emergency summit in Jakarta with its top general and coup leader. (AP Photo)
Myanmar protests continue after ASEAN peace initiative

Apr. 26, 2021 12:13 PM EDT

Activists ride their bicycles as they flash a three-finger salute of defiance during a rally called 'bike for Myanmar' against the military coup in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saturday, April 24, 2021. Southeast Asian leaders met Myanmar's top general and coup leader in an emergency summit in Indonesia Saturday, and are expected to press calls for an end to violence by security forces that has left hundreds of protesters dead as well as the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other political detainees. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
ASEAN leaders tell Myanmar coup general to end killings

By Niniek Karmini Apr. 23, 2021 09:51 PM EDT

State railway employees sit with their belongings after being evicted from their home Saturday, March 20, 2021, in Mandalay, Myanmar. State railway workers in Mandalay have been threatened with eviction to force them to end their support for the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) against military rule. (AP Photo)
Striking Myanmar rail workers move out as protests continue

Mar. 20, 2021 04:33 AM EDT

FILE - In this March 3, 2021, file photo, anti-coup school teachers in their uniform and traditional Myanmar-hats participate in a demonstration in Mandalay, Myanmar. The escalation of violence in Myanmar as authorities crack down on protests against the Feb. 1 coup is adding to pressure for more sanctions against the junta, as countries struggle over how to best confront military leaders inured to global condemnation.(AP Photo/File)
Escalating violence ups pressure for Myanmar sanctions

By Elaine Kurtenbach Mar. 06, 2021 10:55 PM EST

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc applauds during a virtual signing ceremony of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP, trade agreement in Hanoi, Vietnam on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2020. China and 14 other countries agreed Sunday to set up the world’s largest trading bloc, encompassing nearly a third of all economic activity, in a deal many in Asia are hoping will help hasten a recovery from the shocks of the pandemic.(AP Photo/Hau Dinh)
ASEAN, China, other partners sign world's biggest trade pact

By Elaine Kurtenbach Nov. 14, 2020 08:23 PM EST

This image made from a teleconference provided by the Vietnam News Agency (VNA) shows U.S. national security adviser Robert O'Brien during a virtual summit with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020. U.S. President Donald Trump skipped a virtual summit with his Southeast Asian counterparts on Saturday, the third year in a row that the U.S. is being represented at a lower level. (VNA via AP)
Trump skips Asian summits as China set to expand influence

By Hau Dinh And Eileen Ng Nov. 13, 2020 10:28 PM EST

Vietnamese Defense Minister Ngo Xuan Lich arrives at the venue for the online ASEAN Summit in Hanoi, Vietnam on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2020. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)
ASEAN summit begins online meetings with regional leaders

By Hau Dinh Nov. 12, 2020 01:26 AM EST

In this photo released by Indonesian Presidential Palace, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, second left, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, second right, Suga's wife Mariko, left, and Widodo's wife Iriana wave during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Bogor West Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Oct 20, 2020. (Laily Rachev/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)
Japan's PM, in Indonesia, says SE Asia key for his nation

By Niniek Karmini And Mari Yamaguchi Oct. 20, 2020 03:11 AM EDT

In this image taken from video provided by VTV, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks during an online meeting with ASEAN foreign ministers on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. Southeast Asia’s top diplomats held their annual talks by video Wednesday to discuss the immense crisis wrought by the coronavirus pandemic and rising tensions in the South China Sea amid the escalating rivalry between Washington and Beijing. (VTV via AP)
US to ASEAN: Reconsider deals with blacklisted China firms

By Hau Dinh And Yves Dam Van Sep. 10, 2020 12:53 AM EDT

This image taken from video provided by VTV shows ASEAN foreign ministers watching Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, center, delivering a speech in Hanoi, Vietnam, during the opening of ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. Southeast Asia's top diplomats are holding their annual talks by video Wednesday to discuss the immense crisis wrought by the coronavirus pandemic and rising tensions in the South China Sea amid the escalating rivalry between Washington and Beijing. (VTV via AP)
ASEAN talks tackle pandemic, sea feud amid US-China rivalry

By Hau Dinh And Yves Dam Van Sep. 09, 2020 06:45 AM EDT

This image taken from video provided by VTV shows ASEAN foreign ministers watching Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, center, delivering a speech during the opening of ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. Southeast Asia's top diplomats are holding their annual talks by video Wednesday to discuss the immense crisis wrought by the coronavirus pandemic and rising tensions in the South China Sea amid the escalating rivalry between Washington and Beijing. (VTV via AP)
ASEAN talks tackle pandemic, sea feud amid US-China rivalry

By Hau Dinh And Yves Van Dam Sep. 08, 2020 09:57 PM EDT

An employee serves customers from behind a plastic sheet installed as a precaution against the new coronavirus at a street food stall in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, July 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Asia Today: Australian outbreak attributed to sick workers

Jul. 26, 2020 09:50 PM EDT

Fans wearing face masks to help protect against the spread of the new coronavirus watch the KBO league game between Doosan Bears and LG Twins in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, July 27, 2020. Masked fans hopped, sang and shouted cheering slogans in baseball stadiums in South Korea on Sunday as authorities began bringing back spectators in professional sports games amid the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
The Latest: S. Korea reports 25 new coronavirus cases

By The Associated Press Jul. 26, 2020 12:50 AM EDT

A musician walks between graves of people deceased in the last two months, in a section of the Municipal Cemetery of Valle de Chalco opened to accommodate the surge in deaths amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, on the outskirts of Mexico City, Thursday, July 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Mexico president heads to Washington for meeting with Trump

By Christopher Sherman Jul. 07, 2020 12:01 PM EDT

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc arrives at the opening ceremony of the 36th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi, Vietnam Friday, June 26, 2020. Leaders from the Southeast Asian ten-nation bloc hold the bi-annual summit via online video conference to discuss regional issues. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)
ASEAN takes position vs China's vast historical sea claims

By Jim Gomez Jun. 27, 2020 06:29 AM EDT