Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
S Korea rejects forced change in Indo-Pacific
PHNOM PENH: South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol said on Friday that unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the Asian region by force can never be accepted amid tension over the South China Sea, Taiwan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Yoon made the comment at a summit of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh. He said his Indo-Pacific strategy was aimed at fostering a “free, peaceful and prosperous” region built on a rules-based order. To that end, he would help shore up rules-based efforts to prevent conflicts and ensure the principle of peaceful resolutions through dialogue.
“Peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region is directly related to our survival and prosperity,” Yoon said in opening remarks at the summit. “Any unilateral change in the status quo by force should never be tolerated.”
East Timor to join bloc
Southeast Asian leaders agreed on Friday to allow East Timor to join the 10-nation Asean regional bloc, according to a statement released by summit host Cambodia.
East Timor is the youngest country in Southeast Asia, having gained independence from Indonesia in 2002 after 24 years of occupation.
During their gathering in Phnom Penh, regional leaders agreed to grant East Timor observer status and the right to attend Asean meetings and summit sessions, according to the statement. The bloc will now draw up a roadmap setting out the criteria that East Timor must hit before being granted full membership.
The leaders also agreed to engage Myanmar opposition groups as they seek ways to quell the country’s escalating bloodshed which has seen thousands killed in clashes since last year’s coup, in which Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government was ousted.