Manila will host the annual ministerial meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its dialogue partners starting this weekend, including the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), Asia's largest security conference. Twenty-seven countries, including the U.S., North Korea, China, Japan, South Korea and Russia, are members of the ARF. "Although North Korea is a member of the ASEAN Regional Forum, we continue to encourage all countries, including ASEAN members, to downgrade diplomatic engagements or exchanges with the North Korea," the U.S. Embassy said in a statement. On July 28, North Korea test-fired its second intercontinental ballistic missile and said that all the US mainland was now within its range. Tests by North Korea of two nuclear bombs and various missiles have increased tensions on the Korean peninsula since the start of last year.

Source: The China Post August 03, 2017 09:33 UTC