Malaysia has appointed a new ASEAN special envoy to Myanmar to try and implement the regional bloc’s stalled peace plan for the war-torn country.

Malaysia is committed to addressing regional issues, but expectations on Myanmar and the advancing of talks on a code of conduct between the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and China for the South China Sea should be tempered,

Southeast Asian foreign ministers hold a closed-doors retreat in Malaysia on Sunday, as the country hosts its first meeting as chair of the regional bloc ASEAN amid an intensifying civil war in Myanmar and confrontations in the South China Sea.

A Vietnamese delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, attended the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat (AMM Retreat) in Langkawi, Malaysia, on January 19.

This photo taken on Jan. 19, 2025 shows a scene of a press conference after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers' meeting in Langkawi, Malaysia. The meeting was held here on Sunday. (Xinhua/Cheng Yiheng)

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin has officially invited Indonesia to participate in the 2025 Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (Lima) 2025.

Malaysia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan is set to chair the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat (AMM Retreat) on Sunday (Jan 19) in Langkawi, Kedah. The AMM Retreat is the first scheduled meeting in the annual ASEAN calendar at the ministerial level under Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship for 2025.

This photo taken on Jan. 17, 2025 shows a sunset view at the Cenang beach in Langkawi, Malaysia. (Xinhua/Cheng Yiheng)

Malaysia's has appointed diplomat Othman Hashim as the Southeast Asian bloc ASEAN's special envoy on the crisis in army-ruled Myanmar, its foreign minister said on Sunday.

The logo of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) displayed at a hotel where the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat (AMM) is taking place in Langkawi, Malaysia, on Saturday, January

This photo taken on Jan 19 2025 shows a scene of a press conference after the Association of Southeast Asian Nat

South-East Asian foreign ministers told Myanmar's junta to prioritise a ceasefire in its civil war over fresh elections during a meeting in Malaysia oat the weekend.