Foreign ministers converged on Kuala Lumpur this week for the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, using the gathering to widen diplomatic and economic outreach across the Asia-Pacific. Türkiye’s envoy, Hakan Fidan, held separate talks with counterparts from Australia, Singapore, Laos, Brunei, Papua New Guinea and Malaysia, part of Ankara’s bid for a deeper role in the region. Fidan told the forum that Türkiye and ASEAN “stand at a critical crossroads” facing shared security and economic challenges. He urged the bloc to back Ankara’s ambition to upgrade its status to a full dialogue partner and cited two-way trade that topped US$15.7 billion last year as evidence of untapped potential. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi also kept a packed schedule, meeting Canadian counterpart Anita Anand, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Britain’s David Lammy, among others. Wang said Beijing and Washington must “find the right way to get along in the new era,” while accusing U.S. tariffs—including the 145 percent levy on Chinese goods imposed in April—of weakening the global trading system. Wang told partners that China is ready to expand investment if national-security curbs are eased and said relations with Australia are “back on track for improvement.” The diplomatic push, alongside Türkiye’s overtures, underscores how non-ASEAN nations are leveraging the annual ministerial to consolidate influence in a region increasingly shaped by major-power rivalry.