Vietnam FM on ASEAN talks, ASEAN chief on Rohingya

Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said on Saturday that ASEAN will continue to pursuit the bloc's neutral position to avoid being stuck inbetween rivalry among major powers.

Speaking after a series of meetings between ASEAN and its partners including the U.S and China, Minh said ASEAN nations want to build Southeast Asia to be a "region of peace, stability and neutrality" and urged other countries in the world to contribute to the process.

Issues in the South China Sea continued to top the meeting agenda following developments by China and its clash with the U.S on the contested water way.

Negotiations for the Code of Conduct on the sea made little progress.

The meetings were organized online via video conferencing due to COVID-19, further hindering progress.