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Sea dispute, N. Korea, Muslim militants top ASEAN meetings

A North Korean flag flies with other flags of the ASEAN countries and its dialogue partners outside the Philippine International Convention Center, the venue for the Aug.2-8, 2017 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, as a passenger plane flies above Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017 in Manila, Philippines. A North Korean flag, center, flies with other flags of ASEAN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, countries and its dialogue partners outside the Philippine International Convention Center, the venue for the Aug.2-8, 2017 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, as a passenger plane flies above Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017, in Manila, Philippines. Washington is seeking talks on how North Korea can be suspended from Asia's biggest security forum as part of a broader effort to isolate Pyongyang diplomatically and force it to end its missile tests and abandon its nuclear weapons program, U.S. and Philippine officials said. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)
A North Korean flag flies with other flags of the ASEAN countries and its dialogue partners outside the Philippine International Convention Center, the venue for the Aug.2-8, 2017 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, as a passenger plane flies above Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017 in Manila, Philippines. A North Korean flag, center, flies with other flags of ASEAN, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, countries and its dialogue partners outside the Philippine International Convention Center, the venue for the Aug.2-8, 2017 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, as a passenger plane flies above Thursday, Aug. 3, 2017, in Manila, Philippines. Washington is seeking talks on how North Korea can be suspended from Asia's biggest security forum as part of a broader effort to isolate Pyongyang diplomatically and force it to end its missile tests and abandon its nuclear weapons program, U.S. and Philippine officials said. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

By Associated Press 1 min read

MANILA, Philippines (AP) – Alarm over North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missile tests, an attempt to temper South China Sea disputes and unease over a siege by pro-Islamic State group militants will grab the spotlight in an annual gathering of Southeast Asia’s top diplomats with their Asian and Western counterparts.

The 27 nations deploying their foreign ministers for three days of talks in Manila starting Saturday include the main protagonists led by the U.S., Russia, China, Japan and the two Koreas.

The Philippines is the host as this year’s chairman of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It’s an unwieldy 10-nation collective of democracies, monarchies and authoritarian regimes, which prides itself for being a bulwark of diplomacy in a region scarred by a history of wars and interminable conflicts.