Metro Manila, Philippines – Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro said the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is resisting growing external pressures as a main challenge, urging member states to remain united as geopolitical tensions reshape the region.
Opening the 59th ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting in Manila on Tuesday, July 21, Lazaro said regional cooperation has become a strategic necessity amid three issues.
“There is a profound urgency to our work, especially as we live in a time defined by what I call the three U’s — upheaval, uncertainty, and unpredictability,” she said.
The top diplomat said no ASEAN member can confront today’s global challenges alone.
“We must continue this journey together because cooperation is no longer a choice; it is a strategic necessity,” Lazaro said.
“In a fractured global landscape, no single nation can weather these storms alone. Our strength and resilience lie in our community. Acting together, it is our shield against external pressures and our engine for regional stability,” she added.
Lazaro also issued a caution to ASEAN if it chooses to go otherwise.
“If we do not move forward as one, we risk being pulled apart,” she said.
The foreign secretary said ASEAN should continue to anchor itself on the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, which marks its 50th anniversary this year. She said the treaty principles of respect for sovereignty, non-interference and the peaceful settlement of disputes remain essential as the region navigates increasingly complex security challenges.
ASEAN foreign ministers gathered in Manila against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the South China Sea, the conflict in Myanmar, the war in the Middle East, and the Thailand-Cambodia border dispute.
Hours ahead of the meeting, the Armed Forces of the Philippines accused China Coast Guard personnel of assaulting a Philippine Navy sailor with a wooden baton near Ayungin Shoal, injuring the serviceman and damaging a Navy rubber boat.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said the incident would warrant “appropriate diplomatic action.”
The ministerial meeting also follows the Philippine diplomatic protest against an artificial intelligence-generated video published by China Daily that depicted Filipinos as monkeys, which Manila condemned as racist and offensive.
