By EILEEN NG | AP
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysia’s leader said Monday that Southeast Asian countries will avoid direct confrontation with China but push for a quick conclusion to a binding code of conduct to govern behavior in the disputed waters of the South China Sea.
Prime Minister Najib Razak said the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ non-confrontational approach to the dispute has been effective in keeping tensions with Beijing at bay.
“We will continue to engage China in a constructive way,” Najib said at a news conference after chairing an ASEAN leaders’ meeting. “We hope to be able to influence China. It is also in their interest not to be seen as confronting ASEAN and that any attempt to destabilize this region will not benefit China either.”
ASEAN will seek “expeditious resolution” of a code of conduct with China, Najib said.
He indirectly rejected calls by the Philippines for ASEAN to stand up to China. Manila has warned that Beijing is poised to take “de facto control” with its construction of artificial islands on reefs claimed by other countries in the area.
“The massive reclamation activities undertaken by China pose a threat to the security and stability of the region, cause irreparable damage to the marine environment and threaten the livelihood of many of our peoples,” Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said earlier in a speech at the meeting.
Aquino said ASEAN must have political will and unite against “activities that exacerbate tensions” in the region. Manila has warned that China will likely wait to complete its reclamation work before it agrees to conclude the code of conduct.
China, Taiwan and ASEAN members Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Brunei have overlapping claims in the South China Sea, which includes busy sea lanes and rich fishing grounds, and is believed to have large undersea deposits of oil and natural gas.
ASEAN has maintained a cautious stand in the dispute to avoid angering China, a key trading partner.
Malaysia, chair of this year’s summit, was to issue a statement later Monday saying that it shared serious concerns raised by some ASEAN members on Chinese land reclamation in the sea.
The reclamation activities have “eroded trust and confidence, and may undermine peace, security and stability in the South China Sea,” it warned in the statement, a draft of which was seen by The Associated Press.
Malaysia called for “self-restraint in the conduct of activities” and said no parties should resort to use of threat or force.
Officials from ASEAN nations and China are scheduled to meet in May and June to hasten the pace of discussions on the issue, Malaysia said earlier.
The Philippines filed a case with an international arbitration tribunal in 2013 challenging China’s South China Sea claims.
Beijing has defended its reclamation, saying it is Chinese territory and the structures are for public service use and to support Chinese fishermen.
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Malaysia: ASEAN to avoid confronting China in S. China Sea
Malaysia: ASEAN to avoid confronting China in S. China Sea
Nepal’s rapper-turned-mayor challenges ousted PM
Katmandu: Nepal’s rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah will go into a head-to-head election battle with the veteran prime minister he helped unseat, as he champions youth demands that toppled last year’s government.
The 35-year-old resigned last week as mayor of Katmandu to contest general elections, announcing Tuesday that he will directly challenge ousted prime minister KP Sharma Oli by running in the same constituency.
Nepal will hold general elections on March 5, the first since mass anti-corruption protests in September 2025 overthrew Oli, a 73-year-old Marxist leader and four-term prime minister.
“Contesting against a major figure... signals that I am not taking the easy way out,” Shah told AFP, ahead of his formal confirmation of candidacy.
“It demonstrates that, despite the problems or betrayals that have affected the country, we are moving toward addressing them,” he added.
Better known as Balen, the former mayor arrived for the interview at a Katmandu hotel dressed in black and wearing a traditional Nepali hat or “topi,” though he was without his trademark dark square sunglasses.
His hip-hop songs tackling corruption and inequality have drawn millions of views.
A civil engineer and rapper before joining politics, Shah stunned the political establishment in 2022 when he became the first independent candidate to be elected as Katmandu mayor.
He built a reputation as a sharp-tongued reformer, launching campaigns targeting tax evasion, traffic congestion, education and city waste.
Shah’s approach, however, drew criticism for heavy-handed enforcement and for communicating directly with his millions of social media followers rather than engaging with journalists.
“We made many processes that operated through informal arrangements transparent, through open procurement,” he said.
- ‘Ripple effect’ -
In December, Shah joined the centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by television host Rabi Lamichhane, 50.
RSP, which became parliament’s fourth-largest force in the last elections in 2022, challenged parties that had dominated Nepal since the end of its civil war in 2006.
If the RSP secures a parliamentary majority, Shah would become prime minister.
“We share the same ideology,” Shah said, describing a vision of “a liberal economic system with social justice,” including free education and health care for the poor.
Rather than contesting from his Katmandu base, Shah will challenge Oli in his stronghold of Jhapa-5, a largely rural district 300 kilometers (185 miles) southeast of Katmandu.
“This should not be perceived as an egoistic decision,” Shah said. “The ripple effect would simply be greater if I contest from Jhapa.”
The September 8-9 demonstrations were initially triggered by anger over a brief government ban on major social media platforms, with protesters gathered under a loose “Gen Z” banner.
But deeper grievances — economic stagnation and entrenched corruption — fueled the unrest in the country of 30 million, in which at least 77 people were killed.
- ‘Grow our economy’ -
Shah backed the protests while urging restraint, emerging as a central figure in the movement.
“Gen Z’s number one demand is good governance, because there is a high level of corruption in the country,” he said, adding that his party had drawn on protesters for support.
“The Gen Z protest has opened a door — 40 percent of our central committee members and proportional representatives are new faces who emerged from the September protest,” he said.
Young Nepalis are looking for leaders promising economic reform. The World Bank estimates 82 percent of Nepal’s workforce is in informal employment, with GDP per capita at $1,447 in 2024.
“We need to grow our economy,” Shah said, citing tourism, trade and skilled jobs as ways to stem the mass outflow of workers.
Landlocked Nepal, wedged between regional giants India and China, faces geopolitical pressures, but Shah sees an opportunity to make Nepal a trade hub.
“My approach is to maintain a natural relationship with both neighboring nations,” he said.
And while focused on politics, he said that music remains central to his identity.
“Music is a medium to express oneself,” he said. “I will continue it, even if I am elected as prime minister.”
The 35-year-old resigned last week as mayor of Katmandu to contest general elections, announcing Tuesday that he will directly challenge ousted prime minister KP Sharma Oli by running in the same constituency.
Nepal will hold general elections on March 5, the first since mass anti-corruption protests in September 2025 overthrew Oli, a 73-year-old Marxist leader and four-term prime minister.
“Contesting against a major figure... signals that I am not taking the easy way out,” Shah told AFP, ahead of his formal confirmation of candidacy.
“It demonstrates that, despite the problems or betrayals that have affected the country, we are moving toward addressing them,” he added.
Better known as Balen, the former mayor arrived for the interview at a Katmandu hotel dressed in black and wearing a traditional Nepali hat or “topi,” though he was without his trademark dark square sunglasses.
His hip-hop songs tackling corruption and inequality have drawn millions of views.
A civil engineer and rapper before joining politics, Shah stunned the political establishment in 2022 when he became the first independent candidate to be elected as Katmandu mayor.
He built a reputation as a sharp-tongued reformer, launching campaigns targeting tax evasion, traffic congestion, education and city waste.
Shah’s approach, however, drew criticism for heavy-handed enforcement and for communicating directly with his millions of social media followers rather than engaging with journalists.
“We made many processes that operated through informal arrangements transparent, through open procurement,” he said.
- ‘Ripple effect’ -
In December, Shah joined the centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by television host Rabi Lamichhane, 50.
RSP, which became parliament’s fourth-largest force in the last elections in 2022, challenged parties that had dominated Nepal since the end of its civil war in 2006.
If the RSP secures a parliamentary majority, Shah would become prime minister.
“We share the same ideology,” Shah said, describing a vision of “a liberal economic system with social justice,” including free education and health care for the poor.
Rather than contesting from his Katmandu base, Shah will challenge Oli in his stronghold of Jhapa-5, a largely rural district 300 kilometers (185 miles) southeast of Katmandu.
“This should not be perceived as an egoistic decision,” Shah said. “The ripple effect would simply be greater if I contest from Jhapa.”
The September 8-9 demonstrations were initially triggered by anger over a brief government ban on major social media platforms, with protesters gathered under a loose “Gen Z” banner.
But deeper grievances — economic stagnation and entrenched corruption — fueled the unrest in the country of 30 million, in which at least 77 people were killed.
- ‘Grow our economy’ -
Shah backed the protests while urging restraint, emerging as a central figure in the movement.
“Gen Z’s number one demand is good governance, because there is a high level of corruption in the country,” he said, adding that his party had drawn on protesters for support.
“The Gen Z protest has opened a door — 40 percent of our central committee members and proportional representatives are new faces who emerged from the September protest,” he said.
Young Nepalis are looking for leaders promising economic reform. The World Bank estimates 82 percent of Nepal’s workforce is in informal employment, with GDP per capita at $1,447 in 2024.
“We need to grow our economy,” Shah said, citing tourism, trade and skilled jobs as ways to stem the mass outflow of workers.
Landlocked Nepal, wedged between regional giants India and China, faces geopolitical pressures, but Shah sees an opportunity to make Nepal a trade hub.
“My approach is to maintain a natural relationship with both neighboring nations,” he said.
And while focused on politics, he said that music remains central to his identity.
“Music is a medium to express oneself,” he said. “I will continue it, even if I am elected as prime minister.”
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