Four claimants to parts of the disputed South China Sea are members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean): the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei Darussalam. And yet, after its countless year-round meetings, Asean has issued nothing but vapid, hollow and repetitive statements on China’s continued expansionism in and militarization of the disputed area.
Around 48 officials from relevant agencies in ASEAN Member States (AMS), Australia and New Zealand dealing with sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and ASEAN Secretariat officers attended the Workshop on ASEAN Regional Guideline for Implementation of International Standards Related to SPS Measures in Jakarta on 21-22 February 2018.
The Task Force on the Mainstreaming of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the ASEAN Community convened its 5th meeting on 5-6 February 2018.