Asean's Side Deals in Myanmar Risk Missing Where Power Truly Lies
L'essentiel
- Asean foreign ministers are shifting their Myanmar strategy, moving from collective pressure to bilateral engagement with Naypyidaw.
- This recalibration acknowledges the five-point consensus's limitations and explores direct talks, potentially including Myanmar's contested government in future discussions.
Résumé généré par IA
Pourquoi c'est important
Asean is reassessing its collective pressure strategy on Myanmar following the 2021 coup, as bilateral engagements with the junta increase.
Asian AngleAsean’s side deals in Myanmar risk missing where the power truly lies
Trading collective leverage for isolated bargains blinds the bloc to changing realities on the ground
4 -MIN READ4 -MIN
Published: 11:00am, 27 Jun 2026
As Asean foreign ministers prepare to meet in Manila from July 21-22, a quiet but significant shift is under way in the bloc’s approach to Myanmar.
Although the Association of Southeast Asian Nations remains formally committed to the “five-point consensus”, several member states appear to be reconsidering the collective pressure strategy adopted since the 2021 coup.
Rather than abandoning the consensus outright, they argue that more direct engagement with Naypyidaw may be necessary to encourage its implementation.
In May, Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan travelled to Myanmar for talks with junta-appointed Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe, urging an extension of the military’s temporary ceasefire and presenting engagement as a pathway towards de-escalation and dialogue.
Leo Herrera-Lim, the Philippine undersecretary for foreign policy and leader for Asean senior officials’ meetings, recently co-chaired consultations in Naypyidaw. Indonesia’s foreign minister visited on June 8 and Laos’ did the same a few days later. Thailand, meanwhile, has long advocated a more pragmatic approach towards Myanmar’s military rulers.
This steady trickle of bilateral outreach may yet carve a path for recalibrated regional relations with Naypyidaw. Resigned to the reality that the five-point consensus will remain a matter of words rather than deeds – at least without a new tactical approach – some Asean foreign ministers are now open to including a virtual seat for Myanmar’s highly contested and dubiously credentialed new government in coming talks.
Questions ouvertes
- Will bilateral deals undermine collective Asean leverage?
- Can engagement lead to genuine de-escalation in Myanmar?
