ASEAN Unity Faces Major Test at Manila Foreign Ministers’ Meetings

Manila, 20 July 2026 – ASEAN foreign ministers are gathering in the Philippine capital for a crucial round of meetings that will test whether Southeast Asia’s regional bloc can maintain a common position amid divisions over Myanmar, the South China Sea and intensifying competition among major global powers.

The meetings come as ASEAN seeks to demonstrate that its consensus-based diplomatic model remains capable of responding to increasingly complex security and economic challenges. While member states broadly support regional stability, differences in their political interests, economic dependence and relationships with external powers have frequently limited the bloc’s ability to produce stronger collective action.