Asean ministers urge restraint after Pelosi Taiwan visit

A man watching a CCTV news broadcast about joint military operations near Taiwan by the Chinese People's Liberation Army at a shopping center in Beijing. Asean ministers had expressed concern over "growing tension in the Taiwan Strait." - Reuters

PHNOM PENH (AFP): South-East Asian nations urged restraint over Taiwan after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island prompted an enraged China to vow "punishment".

Pelosi's dramatic trip to Taipei, defying stark threats by China, overshadowed a meeting of Association of South-East Asian Nations foreign ministers in Phnom Penh, which had been expected to focus on the bloody crisis engulfing Myanmar.

Asean ministers urge restraint after Pelosi Taiwan visit spokesman Kung Phoak, Cambodia's deputy foreign minister, said ministers at the closed-door talks - meeting face to face for the first time since the pandemic - had expressed concern over "growing tension in the Taiwan Strait."

"We hope that all sides will try their best to deescalate the tension there, avoid actions that may contribute to the escalation of tension and engage in dialogue," he told reporters on Wednesday (Aug 3).

Malaysia and Thailand echoed the calls for calm, with Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah urging all sides to tread "very carefully".

Thai foreign ministry spokesman Tanee Sangrat said the kingdom called for "utmost restraint" and warned against "any actions that would aggravate tensions".

Attention will now turn to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his American counterpart Antony Blinken who will join Asean and other ministers for regional security talks on Thursday and Friday.

On Wednesday, Wang slammed the trip by Pelosi - the highest-profile elected US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years - as a violation of Chinese sovereignty.

"Those who play with fire will not come to a good end, and those who offend China will be punished," he warned in an interview in Phnom Penh with Chinese state media.

China considers self-governing Taiwan a part of its territory to one day be reclaimed, by force if necessary.

The 10-member Asean bloc is split between countries with close ties to China, such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, and others that are warier of Beijing and its growing international assertiveness.

But no Asean country formally recognises Taiwan and none have shown an appetite for backing Taipei against the communist giant.

In addition to Taiwan, the ongoing South China Sea tensions will be another hot-button issue on the agenda.

Beijing claims most of the sea - with competing territorial assertions from Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Cambodia - a key Beijing ally - last hosted Asean in 2012 and was accused of siding with China over the disputed and resource-rich waters, resulting in no communique being issued.