Kuala Lumpur: China has agreed to sign a Southeast Asian treaty banning nuclear weapons, a move hailed by regional diplomats amid rising global security tensions and looming US tariffs, Al Jazeera reported.
The confirmation came during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, where Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said Beijing had committed to signing the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) treaty.
"China made a commitment to ensure that they will sign the treaty without reservation," Hasan told reporters, adding that the formal signing would proceed once all required documentation is finalized. The SEANWFZ treaty, in effect since 1997, limits nuclear activity in the region to peaceful purposes such as energy generation.
According to Al Jazeera, ASEAN has repeatedly urged the five recognized nuclear powers -- China, the US, Russia, France, and the UK -- to sign the agreement and uphold the region's non-nuclear status, including within its exclusive economic zones and continental shelves.
The development comes as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits Asia for the first time since assuming office. Rubio arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday under the shadow of US President Donald Trump's aggressive trade strategy, which includes steep tariffs on several ASEAN countries, Al Jazeera reported.
Trump's tariffs -- set to take effect on August 1 -- include a 25 percent duty on Malaysia, 32 percent on Indonesia, 36 percent on Cambodia and Thailand, and 40 percent on Laos and Myanmar. Japan and South Korea, key US allies in the region, face 25 percent tariffs, while Australia faces the possibility of a 200 percent duty on pharmaceutical exports to the US.
Only Vietnam and the UK have managed to strike separate trade deals with the US. According to Trump, the US will impose a reduced 20 percent tariff on many Vietnamese exports and allow zero percent duty for US products going into Vietnam. "Any transshipments from third countries through Vietnam will face a 40 percent levy," Trump said while announcing the agreement on Wednesday, Al Jazeera reported.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is also in Kuala Lumpur for discussions with ASEAN leaders, reflecting Beijing's increasing diplomatic engagement in the region. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also holding talks in Malaysia, promoting Moscow's vision of a "multipolar world order," Al Jazeera reported. (ANI)
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