VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) — Southeast Asian top diplomats on Saturday condemned violence in Myanmar's ongoing civil war and urged for “practical” means to defuse rising tensions in the South China Sea during the last of the three-day regional talks with allies including the U.S., Russia and China.
Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith of Laos, which currently chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), hailed dialogue partners for “frank, candid and constructive exchanges” on key issues revolving around regional security.
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Japan's Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, left, and Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joy, right, walk behind North Korea's Ambassador to Laos Ri Yong Chol, bottom center, before the ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar, left, and South Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul, right, during the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, attends the ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joy, right, talk before the ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, second right, on the sideline of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
Indian Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar attends the ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, shakes hands with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sideline of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, gestures to Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sideline of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, shakes hands with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sideline of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, right, hold a talk on the sideline of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, attends the ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
Japan's Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, left, and Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joy, right, walk behind North Korea's Ambassador to Laos Ri Yong Chol, bottom center, before the ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, attends the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and South Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul, right, attend during the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
Japan's Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, right, talks with Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, left, during the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, talks with Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, right, during the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, shakes hands with Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, right, during the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, center, talks with New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters, right, during the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar, left, and South Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul, right, during the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks with Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith during ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
Japan's Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa arrives at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, talks with Laos Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith during ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
From left, Thailand's Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, Cambodia Foreign Minister Sok Chenda Sophea, South Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul, Laos Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, Vietnam Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet and Myanmar Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Aung Kyaw Moe pose for photos at the 12th Mekong-South Korea Foreign Ministers event during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, shakes hands with Laos Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith during ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
The weekend talks in the Laotian capital were dominated by the increasingly violent and destabilizing civil war in ASEAN-member Myanmar as well as maritime disputes of some of the bloc members with China, which have led to direct confrontations that many worry could lead to broader conflict.
In a joint statement issued at the end of the talks, the bloc said there’s an urgent need to address the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, and called for “all relevant parties in Myanmar to ensure the safe and transparent delivery of humanitarian assistance, to the people in Myanmar without discrimination.”
“We strongly condemned the continued acts of violence against civilians and public facilities and called for immediate cessation, and urged all parties involved to take concrete action to immediately halt indiscriminate violence,” it said.
The army in Myanmar ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and suppressed widespread nonviolent protests that sought a return to democratic rule, leading to increasing violence and a humanitarian crisis.
Thailand, which shares long borders with Myanmar, said it was given ASEAN backing to play a wider role there, including in providing humanitarian assistance in which it’s already heavily involved. It also said more peace talks have been proposed to include additional stakeholders, especially Myanmar’s neighbors Thailand, China and India.
More than 5,400 people have been killed in the fighting in Myanmar and the military government has arrested more than 27,000 since the coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. There are now more than 3 million displaced people in the country, with the numbers growing daily as fighting intensifies between the military and Myanmar’s multiple ethnic militias as well as the so-called people’s defense forces of military opponents.
ASEAN has been pushing a “five-point consensus” for peace, but the military leadership in Myanmar has so far ignored the plan, raising questions about the bloc’s efficiency and credibility. The peace plan calls for the immediate cessation of violence in Myanmar, a dialogue among all concerned parties, mediation by an ASEAN special envoy, provision of humanitarian aid through ASEAN channels, and a visit to Myanmar by the special envoy to meet all concerned parties.
The meetings also served to highlight rivalries in the region as the U.S. and China look to expand their influence there. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Vientiane on Saturday after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held direct talks with Wang on Thursday. Washington’s two biggest rivals, Moscow and Beijing, which have grown closer over the past two years, prompting deep concerns about their combined global influence.
Regarding tensions in the South China Sea, ASEAN said it maintains its position on the freedom of navigation over the sea and urged a full implementation of a South China Sea code of conduct, which the bloc has been working on with China for some time.
ASEAN members Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei all have conflicts with China over its claim of sovereignty over virtually all of the South China Sea, one of the world’s most crucial waterways for shipping. Indonesia has also expressed concern about what it sees as Beijing’s encroachment on its exclusive economic zone.
ASEAN foreign ministers also welcomed “practical measures that could reduce tensions and the risk of accidents, misunderstandings, and miscalculation,” in an apparent reference to a rare deal between the Philippines and China that aims to end their confrontations, establish a mutually acceptable arrangement for the disputed area without conceding each other’s territorial claims.
Prior to the deal, tensions between the Philippines and China escalated for months, with China’s coast guard and other forces using powerful water cannons and dangerous blocking maneuvers to prevent food and other supplies from reaching Filipino navy personnel.
On Saturday, the Philippines said it was able to make a supply trip to the disputed area without having to confront Beijing’s forces, the first such trip since the deal was reached a week ago. Blinken applauded it as a success in his opening remarks at the meeting with ASEAN foreign ministers, while calling China’s past actions against the Philippines — a U.S. treaty partner — “escalatory and unlawful.”
The United States and its allies have regularly conducted military exercises and patrols in the area to assert their “free and open Indo-Pacific” policy — including the right to navigate in international waters — which has drawn criticism from China.
Wang said in his meeting with Philippines Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo on Friday that the deployment of a U.S. intermediate-range missile system in the Philippines would create regional tension and trigger an arms race, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Associated Press journalist Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, attends the ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joy, right, talk before the ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, second right, on the sideline of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
Indian Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar attends the ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, shakes hands with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sideline of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, gestures to Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sideline of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, shakes hands with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on the sideline of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, right, hold a talk on the sideline of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, attends the ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
Japan's Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, left, and Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joy, right, walk behind North Korea's Ambassador to Laos Ri Yong Chol, bottom center, before the ASEAN Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, attends the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and South Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul, right, attend during the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
Japan's Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, right, talks with Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, left, during the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, talks with Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, right, during the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, left, shakes hands with Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Penny Wong, right, during the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, center, talks with New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters, right, during the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, talks with Indian Foreign Minister Subramanyam Jaishankar, left, and South Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul, right, during the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken talks with Lao Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith during ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
Japan's Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa arrives at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, talks with Laos Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith during ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
From left, Thailand's Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa, Cambodia Foreign Minister Sok Chenda Sophea, South Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul, Laos Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, Vietnam Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet and Myanmar Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Aung Kyaw Moe pose for photos at the 12th Mekong-South Korea Foreign Ministers event during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Friday, July 26, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, shakes hands with Laos Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith during ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM) in Vientiane, Laos, Saturday, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim, Pool)
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The screw holding the net in place at the Australian Open's main stadium got jarred loose during defending champion Jannik Sinner's fourth-round match against Holger Rune on Monday, delaying play for about 20 minutes early in the fourth set.
The No. 1-ranked Sinner, who is the defending champion at Melbourne Park, hit one of his booming serves into the net, shaking it. That managed to inadvertently undo the metal piece that hooks into the bottom of the black webbing that separates players on a tennis court, then is rotated to screw into the blue-painted surface.
That left the net loose, so play could not continue. At least a half-dozen people went over to take a look at things and attempt to re-connect the equipment. Eventually, a worker with a red tool box was able to fix it, earning a cheer from thousands of spectators at Rod Laver Arena.
In the meantime, chair umpire Nico Helwerth sent both Sinner and Rune off to the locker room so they did not need to sit on the sideline in the afternoon heat that topped 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius).
“Ladies and gentlemen, as you can see, we are trying to fix the net as quick as possible,” Helwerth announced to the crowd. “It's probably going to take a few minutes. Thank you for your patience.”
Each player already had taken a medical timeout during the match. Sinner was leading 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 0-1 when action was halted.
As Sinner and the 13th-seeded Rune, a 21-year-old from Denmark, walked back out on the court to return to the contest, fans applauded.
The players were then allowed to warm up for three minutes before Sinner got things started again with a serve.
Holger Rune of Denmark plays a backhand return to Jannik Sinner of Italy during their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Staff work on repairing the net during the fourth round match between Jannik Sinner of Italy and Holger Rune of Denmark at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Jannik Sinner of Italy talks with his coaching staff as repairs are made too the net during his fourth round match against Holger Rune of Denmark at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Staff work on repair the net during the fourth round match between Jannik Sinner of Italy and Holger Rune of Denmark at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)