AMID a world currently embroiled in division and conflict, with the US vs China proxy wars, Ukraine vs Russia, developed vs developing, democracy vs autocracy, North vs South, etc. — exacerbated by the West's weaponization of trade, technology, finance, and food supply — our Asean neighborhood not only offers the world a "thriving counter-example of civilizational coexistence, where 625 million people live together in peace," but also an epicenter of growth.
Most of our media did not give much credence to the Asean Summit's focus on promoting and cultivating Asean's role as a regional peacemaker, and instead most headlined President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reiterating the South China Sea issue during his intervention, saying the "dispute isn't about US-China competition" and calling on "Asean to rally, take action over 'dangerous use' of coast guard, militia vessels in South China Sea."
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