Asean: Taiwan tensions could spark open conflicts

PHNOM PENH: Southeast Asian foreign ministers urged restraint Thursday as China launched massive military drills off Taiwan, warning the situation risked spiraling into "open conflicts." A furious Beijing kicked off its biggest-ever exercises around Taiwan in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit this week to the self-ruled island.

Ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting in Phnom Penh warned against "provocative action." The situation "could lead to miscalculation, serious confrontation, open conflicts and unpredictable consequences among major powers," the ministers said in a joint statement published Thursday.