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Southeast Asian ministers Friday condemned the lack of progress on a crisis resolution plan for coup-hit Myanmar, demanding the junta take action before a regional summit later this year.

Myanmar has been in chaos since a putsch in February last year, and the death toll from the military’s brutal crackdown on dissent has passed 2,100, according to a local monitoring group.

Anger is growing among some Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members at the generals’ stonewalling, particularly after the execution last month of four prisoners — including two prominent pro-democracy figures.

The 10-member bloc — spearheading so far fruitless efforts to resolve the turmoil — issued a joint statement after foreign minister talks in Phnom Penh.

The ministers said they were “deeply disappointed by the limited progress in and lack of commitment of the Naypyidaw authorities to the timely and complete implementation of the five point consensus”.

And in a veiled warning to Myanmar’s junta, the statement — referencing Article 20 of the ASEAN charter — noted the leaders’ meeting later this year could still take action over “non-compliance”.

ASEAN decisions are usually taken by consensus, but Article 20 allows a summit to override this principle.

Late Friday, the junta’s foreign ministry said it “rejects” the bloc’s statement on the lack of progress on the crisis resolution plan reached with ASEAN last April. 

“Myanmar believes ASEAN can maintain its unity and centrality in the long term only if all ASEAN member states respect… sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs” of members, it added.

The junta’s top diplomat, Wunna Maung Lwin, was not invited to Phnom Penh and was also left out of a foreign ministers’ retreat in February, while junta leader Min Aung Hlaing was snubbed at a leaders summit last year.

The foreign ministers also condemned last month’s executions of Phyo Zeya Thaw, a rapper-turned-lawmaker from ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party, and veteran political activist Kyaw Min Yu, better known as “Jimmy”.

Earlier in the week, Malaysia — which has led calls for tougher action — indicated that Myanmar could face suspension from the bloc, should members not see concrete progress ahead of the leaders summit.

ASEAN has long been derided by critics as a toothless talking shop, but in addition to Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore have pushed for a firmer line on Myanmar.

Friday’s statement said ASEAN’s special envoy to Myanmar must be allowed to meet with “all relevant stakeholders” — alluding to the military junta’s decision to block access to the detained Suu Kyi.

The Nobel laureate and democracy icon faces a raft of charges that could see her jailed for more than 150 years.

The difficulty of reaching an ASEAN consensus was acknowledged by visiting EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who was in town for the regional talks.

But he emphasised the “Myanmar situation requires bolder, stronger actions”.

“It is clear that the junta is not listening,” he said, labelling the recent executions “a clear provocation”.

– Taiwan tensions –

The latest communique did not specifically mention this week’s spat between China and the United States following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.

A furious Beijing kicked off its biggest-ever military exercises in waters surrounding the self-ruled island in response to the visit on Thursday.

But the ASEAN foreign ministers warned against “provocative action”.

The situation “could lead to miscalculation, serious confrontation, open conflicts and unpredictable consequences among major powers”, they said in a joint statement published Thursday.

On Friday, the ministers also held regional security talks with their counterparts from the US, China, Russia, Japan and Australia at the East Asia Summit.

A senior militant from Islamic Jihad was among more than 15 people killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip Friday, prompting the militant group to warn Israel has “started a war”.

A child was among those killed in the strikes, the enclave’s health ministry said, while Israel’s military estimated 15 combatants were killed. 

The Israeli army said the strikes were part of an operation “against targets in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad” group.

Islamic Jihad said Israel had “started a war against our people”.

“We collectively must defend ourselves and our people. We will not allow the enemy’s policy of undermining the resistance and our national perseverance,” the group said in a statement.

Flames poured out of a building in Gaza City following an air strike, while wounded Palestinians were evacuated by medics.

Gaza’s health ministry reported “a five-year-old girl, targeted by the Israeli occupation” was among those killed.

Islamic Jihad said it was mourning “the great jihadist commander Tayseer al-Jabari ‘Abu Mahmud’, who was killed in a Zionist assassination in Gaza City”.

An Israeli military spokesman said “we are assuming about 15 killed in action” in Gaza, referring to Palestinian combatants.

“We haven’t finished yet,” spokesman Richard Hecht told journalists.

The strikes come four days after Israel closed its two border crossings with Gaza and restricted the movement of Israeli civilians living near the frontier, citing security concerns.

The measures follow the arrest in the occupied West Bank of two senior members of Islamic Jihad, which has a strong presence in Gaza.

Hamas, the militant group which rules Gaza, said Israel has “committed a new crime for which it must pay the price”.

“The resistance in all its military arms and factions is united in this struggle and will speak loudly, as we cannot accept the situation as it is… all fronts must open fire on the enemy,” Hamas said in a statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid was due to hold talks with Defence Minister Benny Gantz on Friday evening.

“The Israeli government will not allow terrorist organisations to set the agenda in the Gaza Strip and threaten the citizens of the State of Israel. The security forces will act against the Islamic Jihad terrorists to remove the threat,” Lapid said.

Islamic Jihad is blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and the United States.

On Friday afternoon, the Israeli military banned large gatherings in communities within 80 kilometres (50 miles) of the Gaza frontier, until Saturday evening. 

The measures follow four days of road closures and other restrictions on movement in the border area.

Palestinians including patients and those with Israeli work permits have been prevented from leaving the Gaza Strip since Tuesday, while the goods crossing has also been shut.

Gaza’s only power station is at risk of imminent outage due to a lack of fuel supplies through Israel, its manager warned on Thursday.

This week’s shutdown of the border area follows a raid by security forces in the northern West Bank district of Jenin.

Israeli forces detained Bassem al-Saadi and another senior member of Islamic Jihad. A 17-year-old member of the group was shot dead by Israeli forces during the raid.

“It’s just words, words,” complains Pino D’Aietti, who like many residents of the tiny island of Lampedusa feels abandoned by Italy’s politicians — except when a surge in migrant arrivals makes the headlines.

The 78-year-old retired plumber is sitting outside a restaurant on the island, where anti-immigration leader Matteo Salvini has spent the past two days as part of his campaign for September 25 elections.

Located between Sicily and Tunisia, Lampedusa is known for its beaches and turquoise waters, but also as the landing point for thousands of migrants on boats from north Africa.

On Thursday, Salvini visited the migrant reception centre where as many as 1,500 mostly young men were packed this week in a facility meant for 350.

The League leader, whose right-wing alliance is expected to form Italy’s next government, has made stopping the arrivals a cornerstone of his campaign.

He also listened to locals’ concerns about rising inflation, particularly soaring energy costs, which are weighing heavily on the eurozone’s third-largest economy.

But there is a sense of disillusionment here, an island of just 6,000 residents out in the middle of the Mediterranean.

“We have the most expensive fuel, the (water) purifier hasn’t worked for a long time, there is no hospital,” railed D’Aietti, as tourists in swimsuits browsed shops nearby.

“We are spare parts. When the tourists go, the rubbish we eat! It’s disgusting. And who defends us?”

The lack of healthcare is a recurrent theme.

“We have specialists and that’s it. For anything else we have to go onto the mainland,” said Maria Garito, a 58-year-old housewife out shopping.

– Limited means –

Mayor Filippo Mannino admits healthcare is a problem, but tells AFP: “The municipality has limited means, it is up to the state to take charge.”

He has also called for more help from Rome — and the European Union — to manage the inflow of migrants, which often becomes unmanageable in the summer months when calmer seas cause a surge in new arrivals.

Not far from the town hall, at the end of an isolated road, is the so-called hotspot, the immigration reception centre.

It is protected by steel gates, but those inside can be seen whiling away the hours in a few shady spots. 

The government last week agreed to lay on a special ferry to transfer migrants three times a week to Sicily, and AFP reporters this week saw hundreds boarding a boat.

Few get to sample the delights of Lampedusa — unlike Salvini, who was pictured in his swimsuit in a pleasure boat off the island on Friday.

– Separate things –

Although the locals prefer not to talk about the migrants, prejudice is an issue here.

Ibrahima Mbaye, a 43-year-old Senegalese man who arrived here on a French visa three years ago, said “there are good people but half the people are racist, you feel it”.

He has been working as a fisherman, but says it has not been easy — and nor is it for those who arrive illegally.

“They think that Italy is their future, but when they arrive they’re disappointed. They understand that it’s not easy to earn money,” he told AFP.

As for the tourists on holiday on Lampedusa, many are either unaware or willing to turn a blind eye.

“We read about it in the newspapers but we really don’t feel it,” said fifty-something Dino, who has been coming here every summer for ten years.

The two faces of Lampedusa “are two separate things”, he adds.

China said Friday it was ending cooperation with the United States on a litany of key issues including climate change, anti-drug efforts and military talks, as relations between the two superpowers nosedive over Taiwan.

Beijing has reacted furiously to a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, which it claims as its territory and has vowed to retake — by force if necessary.

It has since Thursday encircled the self-ruled, democratic island with a series of huge military drills that have been roundly condemned by the United States and other Western allies.

And Friday saw its foreign ministry hit back further against the United States, suspending talks and cooperation on multiple agreements between the two — including on climate change.

The world’s two largest polluters last year pledged to work together to accelerate climate action this decade, and vowed to meet regularly to “address the climate crisis”.

But that deal looks shaky as relations sink to some of their lowest levels in years, as do agreements on everything from talks on military matters to anti-drug cooperation.

Pelosi — who Beijing also hit with sanctions for the visit — has defended her trip to Taiwan, saying Friday that Washington would “not allow” China to isolate the island.

In Washington, the White House summoned China’s ambassador to Washington to condemn Beijing’s “irresponsible” behaviour over Taiwan, a senior US official said Friday.

Taiwan has also condemned Beijing’s response to the visit, with premier Su Tseng-chang calling for allies to push for de-escalation.

“(We) didn’t expect that the evil neighbour next door would show off its power at our door and arbitrarily jeopardise the busiest waterways in the world with its military exercises,” he told reporters.

– ‘Our motherland is powerful’ –

Beijing has said its military exercises will continue until midday Sunday, and Taipei reported that 68 Chinese planes and 13 warships crossed the “median line” that runs down the Taiwan Strait on Friday.

AFP journalists on the Chinese island of Pingtan saw a fighter jet flying overhead, prompting tourists to snap photos as it flew along the coast.

A Chinese military vessel sailing through the Taiwan Strait was also visible, they added.

China’s drills involved a “conventional missile firepower assault” in waters to the east of Taiwan, the Chinese military said. 

And state broadcaster CCTV reported that Chinese missiles had flown directly over Taiwan — a major escalation if officially confirmed.

On the Chinese island of Pingtan, local tourists proudly extolled their country’s military might against its much smaller neighbour.

“Our motherland is powerful. We are not afraid of having war with Taiwan, the US or any country in the world,” Liu, a 40-year-old tourist from Zhejiang province, told AFP.

“We hope to unify Taiwan soon. We are not scared of anyone,” he added. 

“We don’t want to start a war, but we are not afraid of others.”

Wang, a businesswoman, was more sanguine about prospects for cross-strait ties.

“I hope China can unify Taiwan, but I don’t want war,” she said. “I hope this issue can be solved in a peaceful way.”

– ‘Significant escalation’ –

The scale and intensity of China’s drills have triggered outrage in the United States and other democracies.

“These provocative actions are a significant escalation,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after talks with Southeast Asian foreign ministers at an ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh.

“The fact is, the speaker’s visit was peaceful. There is no justification for this extreme, disproportionate and escalatory military response,” he added.

China’s foreign minister countered with a warning for the United States, urging Washington not to escalate tensions.

“America’s habit is to create a problem and then use this problem to achieve its goals. But this approach will not work with China,” Wang Yi said at a press conference on the sidelines of the same summit.

“We want to issue a warning to the US not to act rashly and not to create a bigger crisis.”

Japan has lodged a formal diplomatic complaint against Beijing, with five of China’s missiles believed to have landed in its exclusive economic zone. 

On Friday, Japan’s foreign ministry said China “cancelled” a planned bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit. 

And Australia — which has a troubled relationship with China, its largest trading partner — condemned the drills as “disproportionate and destabilising”.

The manoeuvres are taking place along some of the world’s busiest shipping routes, used to disseminate the global supply of vital semiconductors and electronic equipment produced in East Asia.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met a Cambodian opposition leader facing treason charges during a visit to Phnom Penh Friday, expressing concern about the kingdom’s eroding democracy ahead of elections next year.

One of the world’s longest-serving leaders, Prime Minister Hun Sen has ruled Cambodia for more than 37 years. In 2018 his party won every seat in a national election.

And in June, a Phnom Penh court convicted about 60 opposition figures — including dual US-Cambodian citizen Theary Seng — in a mass treason trial that rights groups have condemned as politically motivated.

Blinken said he directly expressed concerns about the kingdom’s ailing democracy during talks with Hun Sen, while visiting the Cambodian capital for the Association of South East Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers’ meeting.

Allowing broader participation in the political system would strengthen the country, the secretary of state told reporters Friday.

“One of the things that stands in the way of strengthening the relationship between our countries are our concerns about eroding respect for human rights and democratic institutions here in Cambodia,” he said.

Washington’s top diplomat said that earlier Friday he met Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha, who is on trial for treason in a case that has dragged on since January 2020 — and which could effectively rule him out of next year’s national election.

During talks with Hun Sen, Blinken also raised the case of Theary Seng. The outspoken lawyer and campaigner was hit with a six-year jail term in June’s treason case.

Hun Sen and his ruling party have publicly backed the prime minister’s eldest son — currently commander of the army — to eventually take the reins.

Ahead of local elections two months ago, the United Nations Human Rights Office said it was disturbed by reports of opposition obstruction in a “paralysing political environment”.

Hun Sen’s political party later announced a landslide win.

Japan’s foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi also raised concerns about Cambodia’s democracy with Hun Sen during his bilateral talks on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting.

Japan hopes Cambodia’s election next year is a “reflection of the diverse voices of the Cambodian people”, Japanese foreign ministry official Yasuhiro Tsukamoto told reporters in an online briefing.