Southeast Asian nations will forge a common front to face challenges, including economic headwinds from US tariffs and a four-year civil war in Myanmar, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Monday.

South-east Asian leaders have shut out Myanmar’s top general from their annual summit this week after he refused to take steps to end deadly violence in his country following a military coup.

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has asked his south-east Asian counterparts to jointly press for an end to violence in Myanmar, its return to a democratic path and the release of all political prisoners.

China and 14 other countries have agreed to set up the world’s largest trading bloc, encompassing nearly a third of all economic activity, in a deal many in Asia are hoping will help hasten a recovery from the shocks of the coronavirus pandemic.

President Donald Trump skipped a virtual summit with his Southeast Asian counterparts on Saturday, the third year in a row the US is being represented at a lower level.