Southeast Asian foreign ministers gathered Sunday for their first meeting this year under the regional bloc's new chair, Malaysia, seeking a breakthrough over Myanmar’s drawn-out civil war and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

Malaysia takes its turn as rotating chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations as the bloc contends with Beijing's assertiveness in the South China Sea and a faltering ASEAN peace process for Myanmar,

The regional bloc ASEAN and China should make headway on a protracted code of conduct for the South China Sea by tackling thorny "milestone issues", including its scope and if it can be legally binding,